Mahou Koukou no Rettousei - story by Sato Tsutomu
by Saphira Bjartskular
Summary: I don't know if this is allowed on this site, and if it isn't, then I'll take it down, but I just couldn't stand how awkward online translations of this were, so I thought I would try making my own. This is a translation of the translation of the novel. All rights go to original author and translators.
1. Chapter 0

Magic.

It is a product of neither legends nor fairy tales, but rather science and technology. The first records date back to A.D. 1999, in which police officers possessing special powers successfully apprehended a fanatic terrorist attempting to use nuclear weapons to fulfill a prophecy to destroy humanity.

Initially, this power was called 'Supernatural Power: an ability born within a person spontaneously, through sudden mutation. However, through research conducted by influential nations across the world, it became possible to recreate 'Supernatural Power' through the use of 'Magic'. Supernatural Power became a technology systemized through magic, while magic became a learned skill. Thus, a 'Supernatural Power User' became a 'Magic Technician'. Skilled Magic Technicians possess power that can surpass even that of nuclear weapons and thus are considered a great asset to a country's military might, and, even in 2095, the various nations of the world are in a race to nurture them.

In Japan, there are nine magic high schools set up in various regions in order to nurture the best magic technicians and send them to the National University of Magic, the highest-class magic technicians are produced. The First Magic High School, located in Tokyo, is an upper-level institution known to send the most graduates to the National University of Magic as well as to produce the highest-caliber Magic Technicians (or Magicians, for short). First Magic High is a cutthroat, talent-driven school where the line between competent and incompetent is made painfully obvious right from admission, and beaten into the students every moment they are there. It is an atmosphere of survival-of-the-fittest where the strong reign over those deemed as weak in order to produce the strongest Magician, or rather, weapon.

Even if two individuals are both freshmen, they are not necessarily equal.

Even if they are blood-related siblings.


	2. Chapter 1: Enrollment

"I can't accept this," the girl said, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"You're still going on about that?" replied the boy, lightly.

It was the day of First Magic High's school entrance ceremony, yet the pair had arrived early, and were standing on the steps in front of the auditorium where the ceremony was going to take place. They both wore brand new uniforms, with teal-green blazers. The girl's waist-length black hair shifted slightly to reveal the school's emblem, an eight-petaled flower, etched onto her blazer's shoulder. She tucked the lock of hair held together by a spiraling gold ribbon behind her ear, and frowned. In the early morning sun, her pale skin almost seemed to shimmer, and a snowy anger could be seen brewing in her eyes.

"Onii-sama," she began, each word pronounced clearly like the sound of a pure, cold brook from high in the mountains, "Why are you a reserve? Didn't you top the entrance exams? Obviously you should be the freshman class representative, not me!"

The boy, clad in the same uniform as the girl with one difference: where her blazer's shoulder proudly displayed the First Magic High's emblem, his had only an empty gray patch. In a calm, almost emotionless voice, yet not completely devoid of warmth, the boy said, "Putting aside the question of where you got the entrance exam results, Miyuki, it should be obvious that they place more emphasis on practical skills rather than on paper tests. You of all people should familiar with the extent of my practical abilities. I'm surprised that I even got accepted here as a Course 2 student."

"How can you be so unsure of yourself?" cried the younger sister, Miyuki, her voice rising in distress, "Even when there's no one who's a match for you in studies and in taijutsu! The truth is, even for magic-"

"Miyuki!" the older brother interrupted, quietly but forcefully, and the girl took a moment to compose herself. "You understand that even if you say that, it can't be helped."

Nodding her head demurely, Miyuki said after a moment, "I apologize."

Throughout the whole exchange, the boy's expression had not changed at all from the expressionless look of a mask that made him almost seem as if he were simply a bystander in his own life, with no stake at all in what happened around him. Yet his erect posture and piercing, blue-grey eyes told a different story in which he was constantly analyzing his surroundings, ready to take any course of action should trouble arise. However, at Miyuki's apology, his gaze softened slightly and he raised a gentle hand to her head.

"Miyuki," he sighed, lightly, wondering what he could do to improve her mood, "I really am happy you feel that way. I feel I am being saved when you get angry in my place."

At this, Miyuki muttered, "Liar," but she did not move out from under his hand.

"I'm not lying."

"Liar," Miyuki said, looking up at her brother from under his hand, "Onii-sama, you are always scolding me."

Her brother gave her a gentle smile and said, "I'm not lying, I said. And I, too, think of you the same way you think of me."

For some reason, Miyuki once again lowered her head. This time, however, it was more like it was... embarrassment? "Onii-sama..." she said quietly, so her brother almost couldn't hear her, "...the same way... you said..."

A brief second of confusion filled her brother's mind at her reaction, but he pushed away as it seemed like he had succeeded in improving her mood a little bit. All that was left was to convince her that this situation was perfectly fine.

"Even if you back out of giving the reply address, there is no way that I will be selected as your replacement," he said, moving his hand from her hair to her shoulders, "If you back out this late, even you won't be able to avoid a blemish on your appraisal. You understand this, right?"

"But..."

"Besides, Miyuki, I'm looking forward to it. Show this useless big brother of yours what his cute little sister can do."

Miyuki looked up at her brother and protested, "Onii-sama! You are not a useless brother!" Then she paused, and, the storm in her eyes having calmed down, she said, "But, I understand. I'm sorry for being so selfish."

When she had calmed down, the resemblance between the two could better be seen. They both had a calm grace about them, as if they were royalty. The brother shook his head, saying, "There is nothing to apologize for. I've never thought of that as selfishness."

She smiled, and it seemed as if she were a flower blooming under the gentle rays of the morning sun. "Then I will head inside," she said, and headed up the steps. At the top, she turned around to her brother and asked, "Please watch me, Onii-sama."

Her brother nodded, smiling slightly, "Yeah, of course. I'll be looking forward to your speech."

Once again, Miyuki smiled and said, "Then I will take my leave." With that, she disappeared inside the auditorium, leaving her brother outside on the steps.

When he was sure she had left, the boy sighed. He still had about two hours before the ceremony began, and he had really only come so early to escort his sister who was speaking as the freshmen representative. He had no plan for what to do in the meantime before the start.

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After spending some time debating what to do at the steps of the auditorium, the boy decided to look for somewhere to rest and read. The main building, the practice building, and the experiment building made up three of the school's buildings. There were also the auditorium that doubled as the gymnasium through the use of transformation machinery that could alter the internal layout, a library with three stories aboveground and two below, two small gymnasiums, a preparation room with various uses, a cafeteria and procurement department building, as well as several other large and small annexes. As the boy walked along a brick path, he got the impression that First High was built more like a suburban university rather than the high school it was.

Without an I.D. card, he couldn't access any of the affinities in the buildings and so was forced to walk around outside for someplace comfortable and quiet. After about five minutes of walking around, using the mobile terminal he had brought with him as a map, he found a bench in a courtyard beyond a row of trees. He quickly made his way there, sitting down and opening up a book portal.

_It's a good thing it's not raining,_ he though as he sat down, then shrugged. Even if it had been raining, there wasn't much one could do about the weather. Shortly after he sat down, a group of students all bearing the eight-petaled flower emblem of course one students walked through the courtyard on their way from the preparation building to the auditorium. Their carelessly whispered words trailed behind them as they walked by, casting thinly veiled gazes of contempt at the boy.

"Isn't that a _Weed_?"

"He's early... surely is enthusiastic for a mere reserve."

"In the end, he is just a spare."

First Magic High accepted 200 students each year as freshmen, but the school did not treat all freshmen as equal. Instead, the students in the top one hundred in practical and technical magical skills, known as the blooms, were allowed to wear the flower emblem of the school. Those in the bottom one hundred were separated from those in the top by the lack of the emblem on their blazers. In this cutthroat atmosphere, those designated as Course 2 or Weeds started off with a psychological disadvantage, while Course 1 students began with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Every year, the school produces over one hundred magicians that go on to the University of Magic or enroll in a Magical Institute of Specialized Higher Training. However, in reality, those that posses the talent to become a Magician are few in number. Because a Magician is so highly-valued by society, many young students feel an undue amount of pressure to become one. When accidents do happen, although safety precautions that have been developed through the years limit the more severe ones, many students drop out after losing the ability to do Magic due to shock.

When this happens to students in Course 1, the Course 2 students fill the gap, thus leading to the image of Course 2 students being 'reserves' or 'spares'. These students are allowed to participate in classes, use the school's facilities, and access its data, but they do not receive personal instruction in practical magic, where most of them fall behind in. They are forced to teach themselves and any results that come about are due to their own hard work. If they can't do that, they are forced to graduate from a normal high school, thus losing the ability to become a Magician in society.

Publicly, the school forbids the term 'Weed', but it has become a common derogatory term for the Course 2 students, as well as ingrained in the school system. Even the Course 2 students recognize themselves as spares, and the boy was no different. He had entered the school fully aware of the fact; there was no reason for those students to have all of that aloud.

_How unnecessary_, the boy thought, returning his attention back to the book.

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With only thirty minutes before the entrance ceremony, the boy logged out of the reading portal, getting ready to head inside the auditorium. However, before he could stand, a girl stopped in front of him, the skirt of her uniform rippling gently in the breeze, and asked, "Are you a new student? It's almost time for the ceremony."

The first thing the boy noticed was the Casting Assistance Device (CAD) wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet. It was the lasted model built for fashion, but it still did its function of speeding up the casting process. The CAD is the modern replacement of old-school magic practices such as chants, talismans, and magic circles. With the use of a CAD, modern magicians can learn a variety of magics and produce them quickly and accurately through the accelerated processing of the device, rather than devote their lives to learning a single Magic in order to bring it about by will alone. However, to those who can't use magic, the CAD is useless. Thus, only magicians carry them around, and civilians know little about them.

Furthermore, because the CAD greatly improves casting speed, the magicians who carry them are limited on the school grounds to only student council members and particular committee members, all of whom were Course 1 students. If everyone carried them at all times, the probability of a dangerous fight using magic breaking out on the grounds would be very high.

,Without missing a beat, the boy stood and said impassively, "Thank you. I'll be on my way then." He made no move to hide the fact from the girl the missing emblem on his chest, however, that did not mean he wasn't already affected by the chasm between the Blooms and Weeds. He would rather not get involved with a high-achieving Course 1 student, on the Student Council nonetheless.

However, the girl had other ideas. She grinned, looking at the portable terminal he had folded in three parts in his hand. "I'm impressed," she said, "A screen type?"

Finally, the boy looked her in the face. Even for a girl, she was short. The boy was a hundred and seventy-five centimeters, and her head only came up to his chest. Her thick, dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and her face was a pleasant heart shape. He had expected to find her gaze riddled with belittlement about his Course 2 status, but they only showed pure and innocent wonder.

"Our school prevents the use of virtual screen types," she continued when he said nothing, "but many students still use them unfortunately. However, you are using the screen type even before enrolling in the school."

"The screen type is better for reading," he replied shortly, in his calm, collected way. He could not make a fool of himself here, as the Student Council would likely be involved in deciding if his sister could join the council. He did not want to be the one that held her back because of a careless remark.

His calculated response seemed to have worked, as the girl's eyebrows rose even further. "Instead of watching animation, you read, huh? That is even rarer!" She paused and smiled, "I also prefer reading for information rather than watching, so I'm actually kind of happy."

The boy smiled slightly. Even in the era of virtual information, book-readers were actually not that rare. It seemed that this upperclassman just had a very sociable personality.

"Ahh," she said, as if she had just remembered something, "I beg your pardon. I'm the student council president of First Magic High, Saegusa Mayumi. Written as 'Seven Grass' and read as Saegusa. Nice to meet you." At the end of her introduction, she winked at him. If he had been anyone else, he might have misunderstood her intentions and gotten all flustered.

However, as it was, he just slightly frowned, saying, "A number... and to top it off, a Saegusa."

A Magician's ability is greatly influenced by heredity and his attributes are deeply connected to his lineage. In Japan, those that possessed a superior blood lineage for magic traditionally carried a number in their name, and the Saegusa family were currently deemed to be the strongest in the country. The Student Council President before him was likely a direct descendant, making her an elite among the elites. The exact opposite of him.

Somehow managing to force a smile over his involuntary frown, the boy politely introduced himself, "I'm... no.. my name is Shiba Tatsuya."

"Shiba Tatsuya-kun..." the president said, her eyes widening slightly in surprise, "I see. You are that Shiba-kun, huh."

Tatsuya said nothing, inferring that she meant he was the brother of this year's freshman representative.

"Among the teachers, you have been a hot topic," the president said, seeming unconcerned with his silence.

They were probably wondering how a pair of siblings could be so far apart, thought Tatsuya wryly, however, the president's smile remained warm and inviting as she continued, "Out of a hundred marks, the average of all seven subjects in your entrance exam was ninety-six. Especially impressive were your perfect scores in Magic Theory and Magic Engineering where the average score was no more than seventy. It's an unheard of record high."

Tatsuya's face remained impassive all the while she was praising him because, "Those are merely paper test results. It's just data in the system." Paper results weighed far less than practical results, and the empty patch on Tatsuya's blazer was evidence to that fact. However, the president shook her head at Tatsuya's words.

"That kind of terrific score, I couldn't reproduce it, you know? I may not look like it, but I'm actually much stronger with theory based questions, but, if my exam had the same questions as yours, I wouldn't have been able to achieve as high marks as you, Shiba-kun."

As she paused for a breath, Tatsuya interrupted, not wanting to hear any more, "It's about time. Please excuse me." He lightly bowed his head and turned his back on her before hearing a reply. In truth, he was scared of what might happen if he continued talking with her, although what that may be, he had no idea.

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By the time Tatsuya made it to the auditorium, more than half the seats were already filled. In theory, there should have been no seating chart for the freshmen students as they had not yet received their I.D. cards with their class designation on it. However, in reality, the front half of the auditorium was clearly designated for those who would receive the full benefit of the school's curriculum: the Blooms. Even before their first day in the school, their minds had already been affected by the deep-rooted chasm between Course 1 and Course 2 students. Even without an official rule or enforcement, the Blooms and Weeds had cleanly divided themselves into groups.

It was sad, thought Tatsuya, that the ones most conscious of the discrimination had accepted it.

Without wanting to make a scene, Tatsuya decided to go with the flow and sit in the back in the 'Weed area'. He chose a seat in the center of the last one-third of rows and turned his eyes to the clock. There was only twenty more minutes to go. With electronic communication restricted in the auditorium, Tatsuya tried to think of how his sister was faring as she was doing her final rehearsal. Would she be nervous? Then he shook his head. Miyuki wouldn't become flustered right before the main event.

In the end, Tatsuya decided to close his eyes and sleep the remaining time away. However, just as he was about to slip into sleep, a hesitant voice sounded beside him, "Um... is the seat beside you occupied?"

He opened his eyes to see a petite girl with black hair brushing the tops of her shoulders and large glasses that only enhanced the glowing gold of her eyes. Two purple cloths were tied in her hair, one on each side of her face to go with the lighter purple of her glasses. Like him, the patch on her blazer was gray and empty.

"Help yourself," Tatsuya replied shortly, briefly wondering why she would choose to sit beside a stranger that was a man, nonetheless. However, his unspoken question was answered when three other young girls sat down next to her. They had needed a place where all four of them could sit together. With that solved, Tatsuya once again faced the front and closed his eyes.

"Umm..." the voice called out to him once again.

Having completely lost interest in the girls, Tatsuya was surprised to hear her talk to him again. Had he accidentally brushed his foot up against hers? No, of course not. He was sitting with good posture; he had done nothing for her to complain about...

"I'm Shibata Mizuki. Nice to meet you."

Her sudden self-introduction broke him out of his thoughts, and Tatsuya cocked his head slightly. She seemed timid, not prone to putting herself out there. She was the exact opposite of someone else he had met earlier. Perhaps she had done it with the intent on building a beneficial relationship with each other since they were both Course 2 students.

In any case, there was no reason to be rude. "I'm Shiba Tatsuya. Nice to meet you, too," he replied softly, glancing at her lenses. In this era, it was very uncommon for people to wear glasses. A cure for myopia had long since been developed, and those born with vision ailment often chose to wear contacts that were wearable for up to ten years rather than deal with glasses.

At his response, the girl seemed relieved.

For those who wore glasses in this age, it was either due to a hobby, fashion, or over-sensitivity to spirit particle emissions. From his brief glance at the girl's - no Mizuki's- glasses, he could tell that they had no prescription, and she didn't seem the type to wear something extra for the sake of fashion. So she must have an over-sensitivity to the Pushions, or spirit particles, that were surmised to be the non-physical manifestations of the emotions brought out by intention and thought. Their cousins, the Psions, or thought particles, are the non-physical manifestations of intention and thought. Both have been observed in "Para-Psychological Phenomena", which includes magic, although the control of Psions is the main component in modern-day magic.

Over-sensitivity to Spirit Particle Emissions was not actually that rare among magicians, whose ability to sense Pushions was in proportion to their ability to sense the Psions used in magic. However, in extreme cases, the magicians suffering from this disease have a higher chance of mental break downs due to its effect. In order to prevent that, the magician must learn to control Pushions, but, in the rare event that they can't, they can use glasses with special "Aura Cutting Lenses".

However, as Tatsuya thought of this, he realized another, more dangerous possibility as to the reason behind the girl's glasses. If, perhaps, she needed the glasses not because she couldn't control Pushions but because her sensitivity was just that strong, then Tatsuya would have to be extra cautious around her.

"I'm Chiba Erika. Nice to meet you, Shiba-kun," said the girl beside Mizuki, cutting off Tatsuya's thoughts.

"Nice to meet you, too," answered Tatsuya, his gaze shifting from Mizuki, who had begun fidgeting under Tatsuya's gaze that had unintentionally turned into a stare, to the red-haired girl. Tatsuya narrowed his eyes at her. Her name, Chiba, was from another numbered family, yet he couldn't remember the Chiba House having a daughter named Erika. However, she might be of collateral descent.

"But, isn't this an interesting coincidence?" continued Erika, her pixie-cut hair bobbing as she leaned forward in her seat, smiling unreservedly.

"What is?" Tatsuya couldn't help but ask.

"Well, you know," she began, seeming to struggle with explaining it, "We are Shiba, Shibata, and Chiba, right? Don't they kind of rhyme somehow? Although they are kind of different..." She trailed off at the end, her amber eyes shining with the hope that he understood.

After a moment of silence, he answered slowly, "I see."

After the other two girls introduced themselves, Tatsuya asked to confirm his original thought, "Were the four of you from the same middle school?"

"Nope," said Erika, shaking her head, "All of us just met for the first time." Tatsuya must have let his surprise show because Erika giggled as she continued, "I didn't know where this place was and was staring at the information board in confusion when Mizuki called out to me."

"Information board?" asked Tatsuya, leaving the rest of the question unstated. All the students had been sent the data for the entrance ceremony so the Local Positioning Systems of their data terminals should have been able to lead them here with no problem.

"The three of us didn't bring our terminals," answered the girl next to Erika, before continuing "Well, the virtual-screen models are banned and I had the data stored in mine."

"We managed to luck into this school, after all. It wouldn't make sense getting marked off right at the entrance ceremony," added the girl farthest from Tatsuya.

"I forgot mine, actually," answered Erika, laughing unashamedly.

At a loss, all Tatsuya could say, "So that's the reason, huh." It was common sense to at least verify the venue before coming to your own entrance ceremony, he thought, but said nothing. There was no reason to stir up any meaningless trouble. With that, he turned his attention back to the front where the entrance ceremony was beginning.

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Miyuki's reply address was outstanding, as expected. Even though she was pretty fired up and included borderline-dangerous phrases such as "everybody alike", "as a single body", and "apart from magic", she managed to integrate them tactfully. Her openness, innocence, and her naturally beautiful appearance captured the hearts of the audience, freshmen and upperclassmen alike. She would most likely be surrounded by boisterousness from tomorrow onward.

Being the siscon he was, Tatsuya wanted to immediately congratulate her, but immediately following the ceremony, they were all supposed to receive their I.D. cards, made specially for each person. Miyuki, however, most likely had already received hers beforehand, being the freshmen representative.

"Shiba-kun, which class are you in?" asked Erika, turning around to face Tatsuya who had allowed the girls in front of him as they lined up to get their I.D. cards.

"Class E."

"Yay!" said Erika, jumping up and down excitedly. Maybe a little too excitedly. "We're in the same class!"

Mizuki smiled as well, saying, "Me too!"

The other two girls were in class F and G, and all of them were in good spirits. After all, they had successfully enrolled into high school. After a while, the two girls left to check out their respective homerooms, as well as to search for new friends in the same class, leaving Tatsuya alone with Mizuki and Erika.

"What shall we do? Should we go take a look at our homeroom too?" asked Erika enthusiastically.

These days, most homeroom classes did not have a homeroom teacher. With access to personal terminals, there was no need to waste resources on a homeroom teacher. The homeroom was really just a place to hold all of the kids in between lessons, and, without a overseeing teacher, kids in the same homeroom tended to bond together better. As such, heading to the homeroom was probably the fastest route to making new friends, but...

"Sorry, I'm meeting up with my sister," declined Tatsuya. There was nothing further scheduled for them today, and he had promised to meet up with Miyuki as soon as all the procedures were done.

"Heeh," said Erika, her eyebrow raising suggestively, "If it's Shiba-kun's little sister, she must be really cute, right?"

Tatsuya did not know how to respond to that, so he remained silent.

"Could your little sister be," began Mizuki timidly, "the freshmen representative, Shiba Miyuki-san?"

"Oh, really?" asked Erika, "Then are you two twins?"

Tatsuya shook his head. "I get that a lot, but I was born in April while she was born in March. If we had been one more month apart, we wouldn't be in the same school year."

"Hmm," said Erika, smiling lightly, "I guess that makes things a little complicated, huh?"

Tatsuya smiled, letting the question slide. "That aside," he said, "It's surprising you could tell, Mizuki. Shiba is not such a rare family name, after all."

Both girls smiled faintly, and Erika said wryly, "No, no. It's pretty rare."

"Your features look alike," answered Mizuki faintly.

At this, Tatsuya was surprised. "Do we?" He asked. His little sister was a rare beauty with both talent intelligence. Even if you took all her extra talents away, her beauty alone would be enough to make her the center of attention. In middle school, she had often received fan letters while he, in comparison, never received a single one. Being siblings, they should have at least shared some similar genes, but Tatsuya even sometimes wondered wether the two of them were actually blood-related.

"If you put it that way," answered Erika, "you do kind of look alike. Shiba-kun is quite the hunk as well. It just kind of seems that your features couldn't be any more alike."

"Hunk? From which era did that obsolete word come from?" asked Tatsuya, smiling a little, "Doesn't that mean our faces are the only things that look alike?"

"That's not it," said Erika, struggling with a way to explain, "How should I put it?"

Thankfully, Mizuki came to the rescue, saying, "It's your aura. Your dignified features look alike."

Erika gratefully jumped on the rescue boat. "That's right!" she said, nodding strongly and slapping her knee, "It's your aura!"

"Chiba-san," began Tatsuya, smiling slightly at her antics, "You easily get carried away, don't you?"

"Carried away? You're so cruel!" protested Erika, playing along.

"That aside," said Tatusya, changing topics, "Shibata-san, you're eyes must be really good to be able to tell by our aura."

At this, Erika intervened, "What are you talking about? She's wearing glasses!"

"I don't mean that," answered Tatsuya, shaking his head, "Besides, Shibata-san's glasses don't even have a degree in them, am I right?"

Surprised, Erika peered closely at her friend's glasses, while Mizuki looked a little shocked that her secret had been so easily found out. Before Tatsuya could press further, however, a lovely, clear voice interrupted them from behind Tatsuya.

"Onii-sama, sorry for the wait." Miyuki had slipped out from the crowd that had surrounded them and stood just behind Tatsuya. At first, he wondered if she might have skipped out on something for she was a little earlier than expected, but, ever since she was young, Miyuki had disliked flattery and praise. She must have felt uncomfortable around all the people praising her after her speech and decided to come meet him out here.

As he turned around, he intended to say, "You were quick." but it turned into a question when he saw an unexpected face behind his sister.

"Hello, Shiba-kun. We meet again," Student Council President Saegusa Mayumi said with an amiable smile.

Still shocked, Tatsuya acknowledged her only with a slight bow of the head. Nevertheless, any irritation President Saegusa might have felt at his less than amiable response did not show at all on her face.

"Onii-sama," said Miyuki, her tone a little too polite, "They are?" She nodded towards the two girls standing on either side of Tatsuya, a polite smile plastered on her face.

Without missing a beat, Tatsuya replied, "This is Shibata Mizuki-san and Chiba Erika-san. We're in the same class."

"I see," answered Miyuki with the same polite tone and forced smile, "Isn't a little too soon for you to be dating your classmates?"

At this, Tatsuya smiled slightly. She must be stressed after being bombarded by flattery and praise from left and right. "There's no way that could happen, Miyuki. We were just chatting while waiting for you," rebuked Tatsuya, "And aren't you being a little rude to the both of them?"

In response to his words, Miyuki dropped the fake smile, replacing it with a more gracious one, saying, "Good day, Shibata-san, Chiba-san. I am Shiba Miyuki, a freshman just like Onii-sama. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Surprisingly, Mizuki introduced herself first. "I'm Shibata Mizuki," she said in her soft, timid way, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

Not surprisingly Erika jumped in without reservation, saying, "Nice to meet you! You can call me Erika. Can I call you Miyuki?"

"Please do," answered Miyuki quickly, "Otherwise it will be difficult to distinguish between me and my brother."

"Ah?" said Erika, seemingly surprised at Miyuki's quick answer, "Miyuki, I didn't expect you to be so sociable."

Miyuki smiled, saying, "You are just as open as you appear to be. Nice to meet you, Erika."

With that, the two of them seemed to have had a second, unheard conversation as they both smiled at each other unreservedly, leaving Tatsuya to look on in confusion.

Finally, he interrupted with, "Miyuki, are you done with student council business? If not, I can go kill some time by myself."

Despite the question being directed to Miyuki, President Saegusa was the one who answered, "It's fine. I just came to say hello. Miyuki-san, we'll catch up on another day."

Miyuki nodded solemnly, and the President turned to leave only to be stopped by one of the Course 1 students that had been hanging a little farther back.

"But President," he began, "What about the schedule..."

"We didn't really make an appointment beforehand," Interrupted President Saegusa, "If she already has another engagement, we should make that a priority, yes?" Even though it was phrased as a question, her tone made it clear it was not up for debate. She once again turned to Tatsuya's group, "Well then, Miyuki san, I shall take my leave. Sheba-kun as well. I'd love catch up with you one of these days." With that, President Saegusa strode out of the auditorium. The Course 1 student stayed behind long enough to give Tatsuya an irritated glare before hurrying after the President.

Paying him no mind, Tatsuya turned to his sister, "Well, shall we head back, now?"

"I'm sorry, Onii-sama," Miyuki said, her face downtrodden, "Because of me, people are getting a bad impression..."

"it's nothing you need to apologize for," Tatsuya interrupted, once again placing his hand on her head, combing her hair out of her eyes. The fact that he had already gotten on the bad side of one of the student council members was out of anyone's control, and it was definitely not his sister's fault.

To break the awkward, misleading silence made by Tatsuya gently stroking Miyuki's hair and Miyuki's slightly blushing face, Mizuki said, "Well, since we're all here, why don't we go someplace for tea?"

Erika jumped on the change in topic eagerly, saying, "Sounds great! I know there's a nice cake shop around!"

"You didn't check where the school entrance ceremony would be held, and yet you know where a nice cake shop is?" asked Tatsuya with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course!" Erika said, nodding, "Cake shops are important, aren't they?"

Tatsuya could say nothing to that.

"Onii-sama, what do you think?" asked Miyuki, ignoring Erika's illogical remarks.

"Sounds good to me," answered Tatsuya agreeably, "After all, it would be good to get to know one another better since we're in the same grade." They had no particularly pressing matter to do at home, and Tatsuya had already been planning to go somewhere to commemorate his little sister's successful enrollment.

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By the time they got home, it was close to evening. Opening the door to the above-average sized house where he and his sister lived alone, Tatsuya immediately headed to his room to change out of his uniform Despite himself, he felt a little lighter not wearing the blazer marking him as a Course 2 student. Tatsuya clicked his tongue at those needless feelings and returned to the living room wearing a simple outfit of sweatpants and a T-shirt.

Shortly after, Miyuki came down from her room on the second floor dressed in a cream-colored, tank-top blouse and matching, knee-length skirt. Even though he should be used to it, sometimes her outfits at home left him having trouble to find a place to rest his eyes. "Onii-sama," she asked, approaching him on the couch, "Would you like something to drink?"

After a moment's consideration, Tatsuya said, "Sounds good. I'd like a coffee, then."

"Certainly," replied Miyuki, tying her hair back in a loose ponytail that revealed her neck, just as lovely as the rest of her appearance. She immediately set to work in the kitchen herself, even though it was common practice in this day and age to use the Home Automation Robot. When friends were over, she would usually leave this kind of kitchen work to the robot, but she often liked to do it herself when it was just her and her brother.

Soon, she came back with two cups of coffee. She set one down on the table in front of Tatsuya, and sat her own right next to his. He took a sip. It was black, just the way he liked it.

"It tastes really good."

With that simple compliment, Miyuki broke out a grin, leaned back on the couch next to her brother and sipped from her own cup. An easy silence fell over them, but they were not bothered at all. They had long since gotten over feeling forced to speak to one another when silence fell between them.

Finally, when both siblings had finished their coffees in silence, Miyuki stood up, saying, "It's almost time to make dinner." Handing over his coffee cup to his sister, Tatsuya also stood up.

The evening had deepened into night as usual for the pair of siblings. Another normal day had come and gone.


	3. Chapter 2

The second day of high school began just as ordinarily as the first had ended. After washing his face, Tatsuya headed downstairs to find Miyuki already preparing breakfast.

"Morning, Miyuki," Tatsuya said, "You're quite early today." Even the sun had not yet risen, and, even taking into account the time needed to clean up after breakfast, it was too early to head to school, whose classes began at eight a.m. sharp.

"Good morning, Onii-sama," said Miyuki with a smile as she adjusted her apron, "Please help yourself." She handed him a glass of juice and wordlessly took it back after he downed it in one gulp. She was very familiar with Tatsuya's routine. Just as he was about to say that he was leaving, Miyuki said, "Actually, Onii-sama, I was planning on going with you today." She turned around with a picnic basket full of the sandwiches she had made for breakfast.

"I don't really mind," Tatsuya answered, "But will you be going in your uniform?" Under her apron, Miyuki was already dressed for school, while Tatsuya was simply wearing a sweatshirt.

Miyuki nodded, explaining, "I haven't reported to Sensei about our enrollment yet.. and I can't even keep up with your training anymore, anyway, Onii-sama."

"Understood," answered Tatsuya simply, "It's not like you need to carry out the same morning training as I do anyway, Miyuki. Besides, Master will probably be happy to see you." After a moment, he added, "Although I hope he doesn't get too excited."

With a wink, Miyuki said, "If that happens, please protect me, Onii-sama."

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In the chilly air of the early morning, Miyuki was gliding uphill on a pair of rollerblades at around 60 kph, with Tatsuya keeping pace beside her on foot. With each step he took, it seemed as if he jumped off a magic circle that propelled him around ten meters forward, enabling him to run at such a fast pace.

Miyuki spun around and glided backwards on one foot to face Tatsuya, magic glowing around her rollerblades, "Should I slow down a bit?"

"No," replied Tatsuya casually, even though he was obviously not as relaxed as Miyuki, "Then it wouldn't count as training."

Both of them were training using a simple combination of motion and acceleration spells, with Miyuki's relying on her constant control of her spell and Tatsuya's relying on a reinvocation with each step he took.

At their speed, it only took ten minutes to reach their destination - the Temple at the top of a hill. However, this was no ordinary temple. It was home to the 'Practitioners of Austerities', or 'Soldier Priests'. Miyuki, having dispensed with formalities after being told several times by the head monk that it was fine, simply rolled straight into the Temple courtyard on her rollerblades.

Tatsuya, however, was met with a violent reception as soon as he entered the gates. Twenty of the middle- and lower-ranked disciples attacked Tatsuya all at once. It was not usual, but Tatsuya took it in stride. He deftly evaded their first strikes, seeming to predict every move they made, before going on the offense himself.

Having noticed the commotion, Miyuki stopped looking around for the Master to watch her brother worriedly.

"Miyuki-kun!" said a voice suddenly from right behind her, "Long time no see!"

"Sensei," said Miyuki, calmly turning around to face the smiling man dressed in a long black robe, "Please stop erasing your presence to sneak up on us like that. I've been looking all over for you." It was thanks to how often he did this that Miyuki was not the least bit surprised when he suddenly showed up behind her.

The man frowned as he shook his clean-shaven head, "Telling me not to sneak about, Miyuki-kun, is giving a tall order. I'm a _shinobi_. Sneaking about is what I do."

"In this day and age," countered Miyuki, "there is no such occupation as ninja. I wish you'd correct that as soon as possible."

"Tut tut tut," the monk clicked his tongue as he waggled a single finger back and forth, "Don't misunderstand by labelling us ninjas. We are fully legitimate _shinobi. _It's a tradition, not an occupation."

Growing exasperated with his rather rude behavior, Miyuki tried once more to convince him, "We respect your legitimacy, so please stop it with all the mystery. Why is Sensei so -" She cut herself off before she could finish the sentence with 'frivolous', sensing it would give him the win. She had learned by now that it was pointless to argue about these things with Kokomo Yakumo, a 'legitimate monk' as well as a self-ascribed _shinobi, _or rather a ninjutsu user.

Ninjutsu is a form of ancient magic, having been practiced long before magic became known to the world at large. However, the legends pertaining to Ninjas and Ninjutsu are only partly true. What legend calls 'transformations', 'shape shifting', and 'alchemy' are believed to be impossible, having been derived from high-speed movements and illusions.

"Is that the uniform of First High?" asked Yakumo, suddenly.

"Yes," replied Miyuki, glad to move on from that exasperating topic, "We had the entrance ceremony yesterday."

"I see. I see," muttered the monk, nodding as if appraising her uniform, "Hmm. It's nice." Suddenly he came closer, looking at her uniform up and down. "I knew you'd be starting school today," he said, his voice gaining momentum as he went on, "That brand-new green uniform, neat and clean, has a certain charm... almost like a flower bud that is about to open, a shoot about to sprout... Yes!" He nodded fervently, almost singing, while Miyuki slowly backed away from his increasingly uncomfortable level of excitement. "Moe!" He practically shouted, "This is truly Moe-"

Whatever he was about to say next was cut off as he spun around to block Tatsuya's chop to the head.

Not even breathing hard after successfully defeating all twenty disciples, Tatsuya had immediately come to his sister's aid. "Master," he said in his calm way, "You're frightening Miyuki. Could you please calm down a bit?"

"Not bad, Tatsuya-kun," was the monk's only reply, "Taking me from behind, I see." Still blocking Tatsuya's hand above his head, the monk lashed out with his right hand.

Tatsuya twisted out of the monk's grip in time to catch his fist just before it hit. In response, Yakumo used his momentum to somersault over Tatsuya, aiming a kick at the back of his head as he landed.

Tatsuya spun around to dodge the kick, unleashing his own at the monk who had just landed. The monk jumped back, out of Tatsuya's reach, but the gap between the two quickly closed, resulting in a heated back and forth.

The other disciples and Miyuki had formed a large ring around the two as they fought neck and neck. Miyuki's hands were not the only ones clenched in anxiety over the fast-paced fight.

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After the fight had ended, Tatsuya lay on his back on the ground, breathing heavily, while Yakumo sat next to Miyuki on the blanket she had set out for the sandwiches. The other disciples had already dispersed, leaving just the three of them in the courtyard. Miyuki offered a cup and a towel to the sweating monk, who took it gratefully.

"Would you like one as well, Onii-sama?" she asked Tatsuya.

Still sprawled on the ground, Tatsuya raised a hand in acknowledgement, "Give me a minute." After a few deep breaths, Tatsuya struggled up to his knees.

"Onii-sama," asked Miyuki worriedly, kneeling beside her brother, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tatsuya said, taking the towel from his sister and standing. He held a hand out to her to help her up as well. "Sorry," he said, "Now your skirt's all dirty."

"This is nothing," answered Miyuki, pulling out a thin, white mobile CAD that was fit to her hand. An intricate pattern of light glowed around Miyuki as she entered a pattern into the CAD, producing a thin mist around both her and her brother. After a moment, the mist dissipated along with the soft glow of the magic, and both Tatsuya's and Miyuki's clothes were as clean as if they had just been through the laundry. "Onii-sama," continued Miyuki, raising the basket of sandwiches, "Would you like some breakfast, now? You may join us as well if you'd like, Sensei."

Both the monk and Tatsuya were hungry after their training bout, and dug into the sandwiches. Miyuki sat next to her brother, pouring tea for him and handing him sandwiches when he asked for more. One of the monk's pupils did the same for Yakumo.

After wiping his mouth and hands on a towel, the monk leaned towards Miyuki, whispering loudly, "I probably would have lost to Tatsuya-kun had we been limited to martial arts only."

"I don't feel terribly gratified by those words," said Tatsuya with a sigh, ignoring the jealous looks the disciples within earshot were giving him, "Considering you just demolished me."

Yakima laughed, "Well of course, Tatsuya-kun. You're only fifteen! Had I lost to someone half my age, all my disciples would run out on me!"

At this, Miyuki joined in as well, "Onii-sama, you should be more honest with yourself. It's rare to be praised by Sensei, after all. You should celebrate a little."

"I think that would make me look a little like a prick, though," answered Tatsuya with a small smile, noticing the growing amount of jealous looks being thrown his way by the disciples around. Both the monk and Miyuki laughed in agreement, and the trio finished their breakfast lightheartedly.

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On the way to school later that morning, both Miyuki and Tatusya were sitting together in a two-seated Cabinet. Cabinets replaced the trains of the past, having been made more efficient and secure through updated technology. If one wanted, a single person could ride alone in a one-seated or two-seated Cabinet, but an extra charge is applied if two or less people opt to ride in a four-seated one.

"Onii-sama," said Miyuki hesitantly into the silence of the Cabinet, "The thing is..."

When she trailed off, Tatsuya looked away from the news flashing across his terminal and gave his full attention to his sister. It was a rare thing for her to speak so reluctantly about something.

"Yesterday evening," she continued after a moment, "I received a call from those people."

"Those people?" repeated Tatsuya, but quickly inferred about whom she was talking, "Ahh.. Did Father do something to anger you again?"

"No, it's just that," she paused again, "They have been celebrating my admission into school so vigorously, but, Onii-sama, have they really..."

Tatsuya smiled slightly bitterly as she trailed off again, saying, "It's the same as always."

"I see," said Miyuki quietly. The temperature in the car dropped at an alarming rate, frost already lining the windows even though the Cabinet had a perfectly functioning climate control function. Miyuki hid her face behind her hair, but Tatsuya could tell she was grinding her teeth together as she said, "It was foolish of me to even hope... in the end, they didn't even bother to send you an email. Those people are... Those people are-"

"Calm down, Miyuki," interrupted Tatsuya firmly. Shifting in his seat, he grasped both of her hands in his own and squeezed lightly.

Slowly, Miyuki relaxed and the Cabinet's temperature returned to normal. "I'm sorry," Miyuki said, her voice having lost it's cold edge, "I got upset."

Tatsuya leaned back in his seat, and clapped his hands lightly together, smiling at his sister. "It's fine," he said, brushing the matter off as insignificant, "I ignored Father's wish for me to continue with the company and instead chose to enroll in high school. I wasn't even expecting any congratulations at all. You should understand at least that much of Father's nature, right?"

At this, Miyuki's face darkened once more, but, this time, she controlled herself as the temperature did not drop again. "For my own parent to act so pathetically childish. It's infuriating," she said, "In the first place, if he wanted to separate me from you, he should notify me first, and then Aunt, but he doesn't even have the courage to do that! In any case, when will they stop thinking they can use you however they please? I mean, is it not common sense that a fifteen-year-old should enter high school?"

On reflex, Tatsuya's face went blank at the mention of his aunt, and gave a short, cynical laugh, "That's not exactly the case since there's no compulsory education. And both Father and Sayuri-san have approved my coming-of-age, so I'm sure they're just trying to find a way to make me useful. If they think they can indebt me like that, though, I won't go without a fight." Besides, even though he wasn't going to tell this to Miyuki, he would never leave his sister by herself even if someone ordered it.

"If you say so, Onii-sama," said Miyuki, nodding slightly.

Tatsuya breathed a slight sigh of relief when she signaled the end of the conversation. He feared she would paralyze the whole transportation system with her leaked magic if she found out that he was merely used as a piece of recovery equipment for research samples at the family's Magical Engineer equipment maker 'Four Leaves Technology'. With such vague referencing to his job, she should believe it was at least a half-way reasonable one.

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In first year class E, there was already clumps of noisy students forming as the kids made their way to new and previous acquaintances. Having no one he particularly wanted to talk to, Tatsuya walked up and down the rows to find his own seat and terminal. However, as his name was called from across the room, he stopped and looked up to see Erika standing behind her own desk and waving her hand.

"Morning!" she said, smiling vibrantly.

Next to her, Mizuki said much more moderately, "Good morning."

Tatsuya raised a hand in acknowledgement and walked over to the pair. The seats were arranged alphabetically, so Tatsuya was next to Mizuki.

"It seems we'll be seated next to each other this year, please to make your acquaintance," said Tatsuya to Mizuki, sitting down next to her.

Mizuki smiled lightly, saying, "Yes, I'll be in your care."

Erika, the only one who was standing, frowned down at the two of them. "For some reason," she said with her arms crossed, "I'm feeling left out."

Sensing an opportunity, Tatsuya looked at her with a deadpan expression, and said in his usual monotone, "Leaving Chiba-san out would be an extremely difficult matter."

"The heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Simply that your sociability knows no bounds."

The two stared at each other in silence, Erika glaring down at Tatsuya with her arms crossed, and Tatsuya gazing coolly back at her. Erika broke first, sitting down in her chair with a frown as Mizuki finally let go of the laughter she had been holding behind her hands.

"Does Shiba-kun actually have a bad character?" she asked as she laughed.

Ignoring her, Tatsuya set his I.D. card into the terminal and began an information check. Course regulations, disciplinary regulations, the curriculum for the semester, and more flashed across the terminal. After a moment, Tatsuya looked up to meet the eyes of the student sitting in front of him, who had spun around in his seat. The boy had light brown hair and a strong, rectangular face. His blue-green eyes were watching Tatsuya's hands with light fascination.

"It's not like I have a problem with you watching me, but.." said Tatsuya with the same voice and expression as he had used on Erika.

"Eh?" said the boy, surprised for a moment. "Sorry, my bad," he continued, "It's just that that's something pretty rare, so I ended up staring."

"Rare?"

"I'm pretty sure it's rare now, right? This is the first time I've seen anyone only using the keyboard for input."

Tatsuya nodded as he understood what the boy was talking about. "If you're experienced, this method is faster," he said, "Although between this, visual pointers, and neural assistance, it's also the least accurate."

"Yeah," said the boy, responding only to the first half of what Tatsuya said, "That speed is amazing! That should be enough to land you a job for a while, shouldn't it?"

"No," answered Tatsuya, shaking his head, "A part-time job at the best."

"Ah, is that so?" He said, then, as he realized something, "Woah, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Saijou Leonhart. My father's a half and my mother's a quarter so while I look Japanese, my name is Western, and my specialty is Convergent Systematic Reinforcement magic. My desired course is to hone my body and become either a riot police or a mountain corpsman. You can call me Leo."

Even though such a detailed introduction would not be common at a regular high school, Magic High Schoolers take classes that are specialized in a particular field. As such, Tatsuya did not find Leo's insertion of his hopes and dreams into his self introduction all that peculiar, but he did not feel like replying with his own.

"I'm Shiba Tatsuya. Tatsuya's fine," was all he said.

The boy was not deterred in the slightest. "Ok, Tatsuya," he said, "So what kind of magic do you specialize in?"

"My practical skills are severely lacking, so I'm planning on becoming a Magical Engineer." It was common for those not skilled in actually practicing magic to become Magic Engineers, or Magic Artificers. Instead of putting magic into practice, they are responsible for developing and manufacturing the machinery that amplifies, strengthens, and assists with magic. They are a step below Magicians in social standing, but, as they are in high demand, their income can surpass even that of a top magician.

"I see," said Leo, "No wonder you look so smart."

"Eh? What's this? Shiba-kun, you want to become a Magic Artificer?" cried Mizuki, but Erika stood up from her chair before anyone could respond.

"Tatsuya," she said, pointing her finger at Leo, "Who the heck is this random guy?"

Leo frowned at her abruptness, "Wha..? Calling someone 'random guy' all of the sudden? Not to mention pointing? How rude! How absolutely rude! This must be why you're not popular!" He finished with a petty smirk.

"The hell?" cried Erika. She strode forward, leaning over the boy, "The rude one here is you! Don't get stuck up just 'cos you're slightly good-looking."

"Looks are very important, y'know," Leo answered immediately, rising to his feet and thrusting his face towards Erika's. When standing, he was at least a head taller than her, but she wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "Although I suppose someone as sloppy and wild as you wouldn't understand," he added smugly.

"What's with that slang?" shot Erika, scornfully, "That kind of stuff is from the wrong century. Get with the times!"

As Leo sputtered for words, Mizuki and Tatsuya intervened before the fight could escalate.

"Erika-chan, please stop. You went too far," said Mizuki.

At the same time, Tatsuya said, "Leo, just stop. You're both wrong and anymore arguing would be pointless."

After a moment of tense glaring, the two muttered their consent and turned their backs on one another, pouting, leaving Mizuki and Tatsuya in the middle of an awkward silence.

Soon, however, the first bell rung, and everyone returned to their seats and fired up their mobile terminals to ready themselves for the lesson. Five minutes later, however, along with the class bell, a woman unexpectedly walked in, wearing a suit. She had light brown hair, similar to Leo's that was tied back in a thick, low ponytail, leaving a few bangs to frame her face. Judging from her large breasts, she was unmistakably a woman, but her earnest brown eyes and petite, round face made her seem young enough to be a student.

Schools with online courses dispensed with having a teacher always in the classroom with students, instead only deploying them during special occasions; hence everyone's confusion when the woman who was obviously not a student nor clearly a part of the school faculty walked in and set up a large terminal on the podium in front of the class. Then, she surveyed the students and smiled, "It doesn't seem like anyone is absent."

Louder, she said, with a slight bow, "First of all, congratulations to everyone for entering the school." Most of the students returned the bow out of politeness, even though still confused. Leo even muttered a thank you, but Tatsuya could only frown at her strange behavior.

Firstly, there was no need for her to look around to verify attendance. The I.D.s that each student put into their terminal would record seating status in real time. Secondly, there was no need for her to have brought in that large terminal. The school was riddled with Consoles. The teacher's desk that she was standing in front of should already have one built into it. And thirdly, was she even school faculty? This school did not employ homeroom teachers, and especially wouldn't for the second course students. There wasn't anything specially planned for today that couldn't be covered by a video or online tutorial...

"It's nice to meet you all," the woman said, breaking Tatsuya out of his thoughts, "I'm the integration counselor for this school, Ono Haruka. I'm here to establish a mentoring relationship with each of you in case anyone feels the need for counseling in regards to specialized aspects of your course."

Hearing her explain it so clearly reminded Tatsuya that he actually had heard something along those lines. Tatsuya had written it off as something unnecessary, but the counseling system was actually one of the selling points of this school.

"There are sixteen such counselors in this school, paired female and male, and assigned to one class in each grade," the woman continued, "Yanagisawa-sensei and I will be your counselors." At this, she stopped talking and operated the console on the teacher's desk. After a moment, the upper body of a plain-looking man in is late thirties was projected in front of the class.

"Good to meet you," the man said, "I am your counselor Yanagisawa. Along with Ono-sensei, I will be in charge of looking after you. I hope we get along."

At this, Ono-sensei once again stepped forward, saying, "Counseling is available through terminals, so you won't have to come to us directly. Communication is done through quantum encryption and the reports are stored through standalone data banks, so everyone's privacy is secure." As she spoke, she lifted the large data bank book, which Tatsuya had mistaken for an over-sized terminal.

"The school will fully support you all, so that each of you can live a fulfilling life as a student," she paused, looking around the room seriously before letting out a wide smile and finishing lightly, "As such, everyone, let's work hard together."

With that, all the tension leaked out of the room, leaving behind a refreshed and healthy atmosphere. Tatsuya was impressed at her degree of emotion control despite looking like she had barely graduated. If one spoke to her one-on-one, it would be easy to end up saying more than intended. While that skill to a degree is important for a counselor, this one had enough in her to excel as a spy, even. Tatsuya would have to be careful around her, he thought as she gave a small bow to her bemused colleague and cut the connection.

She gave a small cough and then continued as if nothing had happened, "By now, the school curriculum and guides on the facilities should have been sent to your terminals. After that, you will register for your electives, and that will be the end of orientation. If there is anything you don't understand, please use the call button. Those who have already familiarized themselves with the curriculum and facilities can feel free to skip guidance and proceed straight to registration."

After noticing something on the teacher's terminal, she added, "For those of you who have already finished registration as well, it is fine to leave. However, you may not leave after guidance has started, so if you wish to leave, please do so now. If that is the case, please do not forget your I.D. card."

As if waiting for these words, the sound of a chair scraping across the floor echoed across the room. A slender, nervous-looking boy stood up in the front-row window seat. He bowed towards the teacher's desk and left without looking around at all. Everyone stared at him as he left, but they soon returned to their terminals. It didn't seem like anyone else was about to go and Tatsuya didn't want to risk taking on all of those stares, so he remained at his desk, wondering what he could do to kill some time. After a moment, Tatsuya sensed a glance and looked up.

The counselor was staring at him from the other side of the teacher's desk. Even as his eyes met hers, she didn't look away. Instead, she flashed him a small smile.

_What was that?_

As if sensing his thoughts, her smile broadened before disappearing before any other student could take notice of it. Tatsuya frowned. He was certain he had never met her before, so why? Whatever had just happened carried an exaggeratedly secretive air about it, but Tatsuya could think of no plausible explanation. Was she just trying to tell him to relax? Or was she trying to take away is composure? There was no way she came to this class to hit on the students... right?

Before he realized, everyone else who finished their registration had left, and he was only broken out of his thoughts when a voice asked, "Tatsuya, what are you going to do until lunch?"

When he lifted his head, he saw Leo sitting in his chair backwards just as he had been before, resting his chin on his arms. Since every desk is equipped with a terminal, it was no longer customary to eat in the classroom. Despite the advancements in waterproofing and dust-proofing technology, it would still be a problem if a whole cup of soup was poured over one. Instead, most students ate in the cafeteria, or on the roof, or clubroom, or in the courtyard.

"I had been planning to go look through the reference room catalog," began Tatsuya, about to decline, but when he saw Leo's dejected face at his words, he added, "But, ok, I'l accompany you. What are you going to look at?" Since Magic did not become a full-fledged curriculum until high school, most student's knowledge came from public cram schools if they had magical aptitude. However, as incoming students are unfamiliar with some specialized curriculums and more complicated magic courses, they had the option of observing some of these classes in the next couple of days to see what path they would like to take.

Leo smiled, saying enthusiastically, "Wanna go to the workshop?"

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, asking, "Not the arena?" Leo had more of a lively outdoors air about him, more suited to the arena than the workshop.

"Well, you're not wrong," he answered with a grin, "However, reinforcement magic produces the greatest effect when combined with a weapon, and I want to be able to maintain my own weapons as much as possible."

It made sense. Leo wanted to be a riot policeman or mountain corpsman, where would have ample opportunity to use simple weapons such as shields, batons, and other machinery, all of which are easily compatible with reinforcement magic. He seemed to have a greater grasp of what he is capable of than he looked.

From the seat next to him, Mizuki piped up suddenly, "Umm... If you're going to the workshop, why don't you come with us?"

"Shibata-san," asked Leo, "You're also going to the workshop?"

"Yes," she said, more quietly now that everyone was looking at her, "I also want to be a Magic Artificer."

"Ah, I see," said Leo, coolly ignoring Erika who was once again glaring at him. Finally, she could take it no longer.

She stood, pointing at Leo and saying, "However you look at it, you're far more suited to physical purposes. Go check out the arena."

Despite having kept his cool under her glare, Leo frowned and shot back immediately, "I don't want to be told that by a wild animal like you!"

"What was that?" cried Erika, once again towering over Leo, "You didn't hesitate in the slightest!"

"Stop it, both of you!" intervened Tatsuya with a sigh, trying to cut off the argument unfolding at breakneck speed, "You've only just met today, right?" To be able to argue like this having just met a while ago, their compatibility really was something. And even Tatsuya's words were not enough to cut the rising tension.

"Heh," said Erika, crossing her arms, "You must have been a bitter enemy from a past life."

Leo smirked up at her, "You were some wild bear ravaging the fields and I was the hunter hired to get rid of you."

Erika clenched her fists, ready to start something, but Mizuki stood up suddenly, clapping her hands loudly between the two. "Alright," she said loudly, unlike her usual disposition, "Let's go. We're wasting time." She walked between the two, forcing Erika to take a step back and headed towards the door.

Tatsuya stood as well, saying, "Yeah, if we don't hurry, we'll be the only ones left in the classroom." He followed Mizuki towards the door. With their rapid-fire argument finally interrupted, Erika and Leo glared daggers at each other for a moment before turning their backs on one another in a huff and following the other two out of the classroom.

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"Onii-sama..." began Miyuki, grasping on the hem of her brother's shirt and hiding her face behind her face.

"Don't apologize, Miyuki," Tatsuya said firmly, "You aren't at fault in the least."

Earlier, Tatsuya and company had returned early from observing the special classes and were able to snag one of the four-seat bench tables before the rush had filled the cafeteria. Tatsuya and Leo had sat on one side with the girls on the other side, and were halfway through their meal when Miyuki and several of her classmates had shown up. To Miyuki, there was no question as to whether she would sit with her own classmates or Tatsuya: no matter what, she would always prioritize her brother.

But, despite everyone only being freshmen, her Course One classmates thought it would be unfit for her to sit with a group of Course Two students. They ended up ordering Leo, who had already finished his meal, to vacate his seat so one of them could fit in with Miyuki, Tatsuya, and the other two girls. Erika and Leo, with their personality as it was, were on the verge of exploding, and even Mizuki joined in to protest. Tatsuya finished the last few bites of his meal and ended the situation by insisting Miyuki and her classmates use their table. He and the still-fuming trio left after Miyuki apologized to everyone involved.

Tatsuya thought it was fortunate that his first friends had been Erika, Mizuki, and Leo, as they contrasted nicely to his cynic and moody tendencies. However, he knew that, if there came a choice between a confrontation and backing down servilely, those three would tend toward the former. Even Mizuki, as surprising as it seemed, had chosen to protest at the Course 1 students' display of extreme arrogance in the lunchroom. Tatsuya could only hope that there would be no more instances like this, where Course 1 students tried to assert their dominance over them just because of the prejudice in this school. After all, they were all just freshman. There wasn't that much of a difference between them after just two days of school.

However, during afternoon classes, they once again got into a verbal spat with a group of Course 1 students. They had all gone to watch the Student Council President Saegusa Mayumi at the shooting range during her practical magic class. President Mayumi was a once-in-a-decade prodigy at long-range precision magic and had brought many trophies home for the school. Naturally, the freshmen had all heard of it and wanted to see for themselves her magic in action. It didn't hurt that rumors of her coquettish nature had also been circulating.

Their group had gradually made it to the front row, but, after a while, a group of Course 1 students came and demanded their spots. Tatsuya, not wanting to stand out, once again peacefully brokered the situation, and they left without anything major happening.

With that incident out of the way, Tatsuya only had a bad feeling. After all, bad things come in threes, don't they? And, sure enough, after school, yet another incident began escalating between Tatsuya's group and a group of Course 1 students.

He and the group had been waiting outside for Miyuki, as he and his sister always went home together. However, when Miyuki appeared, a flock of Course 1 students surrounded her. Tatsuya saw some familiar faces among them, recognizing them as the same ones from the lunchroom earlier. Miyuki made a beeline for her brother, but one of the students stopped her, asking her to walk home with them instead.

At this, Mizuki could not stay silent. "Won't you all stop being such poor losers?" She spat out caustically, "Miyuki said she wants to go with her brother! You have no right to tear these two apart!"

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow at her phrasing. "... Tear us apart?" he muttered under his breath.

Miyuki, having been the only one to hear her brother spoke up, "Mi-Mizuki, aren't you misunderstanding something?"

"Is something wrong, Miyuki?" asked Tatsuya, wondering why she seemed so rushed.

"Eh?" said Miyuki, still stammering, "N..nothing! It's nothing!"

After watching the pair of siblings with too good of a relationship, Mizuki and the rest only got more heated up.

"Hasn't Miyuki treated you guys well enough already?" continued Mizuki with sound logic, "If she wanted to go with you, she would have said so!"

"We've asked her!" proclaimed one of the guys around Miyuki.

A female student followed suit, saying, "That's right! We're sorry for Shiba-san, but we just want a little more time!"

Leo gave a derisive laugh, saying, "That's just self justification. Find a better time for it."

Erika joined in, for once, a united front with Leo, "If you really had asked, maybe you would have had her consent from the beginning. You're in high school already. You should know it's rude to ignore her intentions and force your own on her without consulting her or anything."

"Shut up!" cried one of the male students, the most vocal of the group. Tatsuya remembered seeing him in the lunch following Miyuki around as well as once before when he had first met the Student Council President. "Another class," continued the boy loudly, "much less _Weeds, _has no right to interfere in matters concerning us Blooms!"

In response to the petty use of the prohibited term for Course 2 students, Mizuki reacted with logic, "We are all just the same: freshmen. You are Blooms, as you say, but, right now, just how are you any better than us?" There was a moment of silence after her words rang out across the courtyard as they thought of something they could use to counter her logic.

Finally, the unofficial spokesperson of the Course 1 students said, "If you want to know just how much better, I'll show you!"

"Hah! Interesting!" cried Leo, aggressively, "Then, by all means, show us!"

"Then I will!" The boy pulled out a small, hand-gun shaped CAD, pointing it at Leo. Despite magic being prohibited outside of supervised classrooms by the school and off-campus by the law, there was no rule against carrying CAD's outside of school. Students who had one usually left theirs in the office during school and picked it back up as they were leaving, so it was not unusual for him to be carrying one as it was after school.

However, the CAD the boy had pulled out and thrust toward Leo was a specialized one, which were generally used to invoke a few aggressive combat magic sequences very quickly as opposed to general CADs which were used to store a lot of smaller magic sequences. Furthermore, the speed at which he pulled the CAD out and aimed it at Leo made it evident that the boy was accustomed to fights between magicians. Furthermore, he was most likely from the Morisaki family, famous for their quick-draws. This could get very ugly, very fast.

As if thinking the very same thing, as soon as she saw the specialized CAD, Miyuki cried out, "Onii-sama!" Tatsuya, as well, reached his hand out reflexively, but, before he could do anything, the situation had been resolved already. Erika, with a baton that had suddenly appeared from nowhere, had knocked the gun from the student's hands. She casually swung the baton around, smiling nonchalantly.

"At this distance," she said, "It's faster just to move your body."

"I agree," said Leo, a little reproachfully as he rubbed his hands that had just barely missed being smashed along with the gun, "But you were planning on whacking my hand as well, weren't you?"

"A~ra," said Erika with a smile, "I wouldn't do something like that."

"Don't laugh it off so unnaturally!"

Erika continued laughing lightly, her mouth hidden behind her hand. "I'm serious," she continued, "I could tell wether you were going to engage or not. You seem like an idiot, but your arm speaks otherwise."

For a moment, Leo was speechless. Then, "...Are you making fun of me? You're making fun of me right to my face?"

"That's why I said you look like an idiot, right?" answered Erika with another laugh. Forgetting the tense situation, the two engaged in another comical argument.

However, they let their guards down too soon, as another Course 1 student began typing a sequence into her CAD, a generalized one this time.

However, before the sequence could be deployed, a Psion bullet shattered the sequence and a voice they all knew cried out, "Stop right there! Using attack magic on others for any reason other than self-defense is not just a violation of the school rules! It's a criminal offense!"

The Student Council President strode up to the group and the student who had been intent of attacking Erika with magic fainted into another student. Even in this situation, however, Tatsuya did not feel much severity coming from the President as she surveyed the stand-off. Even so, her Psion aura that was far beyond the average magician gave her an inviolable sense of dignity.

Another student, wearing an armband identifying her as the Public Moral Chief - the student security team - Watanabe Mari, said forcefully, "You are students from class 1A and 1E, aren't you? I will hear you out. Come along." Her voice was hard and even, matching the calm and capable face framed by her short, pixie-cut hair. She had her CAD out, with its activation sequence already deployed. All she would have to do is supply the necessary Psions and her magic would be invoked. It was not hard to imagine what any form of resistance would lead to.

While everyone else froze in the atmosphere, Tatsuya slowly and evenly walked up to Mari, followed closely by Miyuki. She eyed them quizzically. To her, they had seemed like uninvolved parties. Tatsuya took her gaze without flinching and stopped a respectable distance in front of her.

"We're sorry," he said in his usual monotone, "The prank went to far."

Mari's eyebrows arched up in surprise. "Prank?"

"Yes," answered Tatsuya in the same tone of voice, "Morisaki's quick-draw is famed, so I asked him to give a little demonstration for future reference, but it became too lifelike and got out of hand."

The student in question's eyes widened in surprise and the other students were at a loss for words. However, Mari quietly surveyed the scene, giving the two students who had tried to illegally use their CAD's a bloodcurdling look. Finally, she turned back to Tatsuya with a cold smile, "Then why did that girl from 1A try to use magic?"

"She was taken by surprise. Being able to start up activation processes as a conditioned reflex is truly worthy of a course 1 student," Tatsuya answered without hesitation in a tone that bordered shameless, but still with a deadpan expression.

"Your friends were about to be attacked by magic, and yet you still call it a prank?"

"Even if you call it an attack," answered Tatsuya coolly, "all she intended to fire was a flash of blinding magic. It wasn't on a level where it would have caused blindness or impairment."

"Hoou," breathed Mari in grudging admiration, "It seems you're somehow able to read the activation sequence before it is deployed."

The activation sequence is a large block of data used for building a magic ritual. By looking at the shape of the ritual, it is possible to attempt a guess at what kind of effect a magic will have, but the activation sequence itself is just a massive chunk of data information. Most magicians only interact with it in the subconscious. The act of reading the sequence requires the enumeration of endless strings of data, then producing an image from those in the mind, thus making it practically impossible for a third-party to actively understand the sequence.

However, Tatsuya dismissed the insane skill nonchalantly, saying, "I'm not good at practical magic, but I'm confident in my analyses."

Mari gave Tatsuya a look that was something between an appraisal and a glare, saying, "You're misinformation skills are also quite something."

"As my brother said," added Miyuki, bowing without a hint of deceit, "This was all really just a misunderstanding. We are very sorry for bothering you all."

President Mayumi also took this time to chime in, "Mari, it's fine already." Turning to Tatsuya with a smile, she asked, "Tatsuya-kun, that really was just a demonstration, wasn't it?"

Tatsuya furrowed his brows slightly, wondering when she had started calling him by his first name, but was not about to refuse her timely help. He turned to Mari with the same deadpan face that hadn't slipped at all during this whole incident and nodded slightly.

Mayumi gave a somewhat triumphant smile and said to the whole group, "It is not prohibited for students to teach each other, but, in terms of executing magic, you are prohibited from using it. You will learn this in the first semester. In terms of self-study in magic, it is best to refrain from practicing."

"Since the President said so," Mari added gravely, "I will refrain this time. But I don't want there to be a second time." With that, the two gave a slight bow to the group and turned to leave. But, after one step, Mari turned back around to Tatsuya.

"Your name?" she asked.

"First year class E, Shiba Tatsuya."

"I'll remember that."

Holding back is tongue after he almost instinctively let slip a 'no problem', Tatsuya swallowed a sigh.

After the officials had gone out of sight, the student who had instigated the whole mess gave a thorny glare to Tatsuya and said, "Don't think I owe you anything."

Tatsuya coolly returned the boy's gaze saying, "I don't think that in the least, so don't worry. What got you off was not my glib tongue, but rather Miyuki's sincerity."

Miyuki stepped up next to her brother, explaining, "I came along because, even though Onii-sama is good at talking people down, he has problems convincing them."

"Indeed," agreed Tatsuya with a smile at his sister.

Seeing the warm banter between the siblings, the boy's hostility faded somewhat and he introduced himself, "As you thought, I'm from the Morisaki house. My name is Morisaki Shun."

In response to the unspoken question, Tatsuya replied, "It's not really a big deal. I've seen plenty practice examples of the Morisaki quick-draw in visual materials."

"Now that you mention it," interrupted Erika, smacking a fist on the palm of her hand as she realized something, "I think I've seen them before, too!"

Of course, Leo couldn't let that opportunity go to waste. "You only just remembered that now, didn't you," he said, "As I thought, Tatsuya's on a completely different level than you."

"How patronizing," she shot back, "An idiot who tried to grab a Houki in the midst of activation has no place talking about levels."

"Huh? Who are you calling an idiot, Idiot!"

"Umm..." said Mizuki nervously, "That really is dangerous. Psions produced by another magician's activation ritual would cause a rejection in your own subconscious..."

Erika smiled triumphantly, "What she said. Got it?"

"What you did was dangerous, too," protested Leo, "Just using the baton, you'd receive the interference 1000 fold!"

"It's fine. This is shielded," answered Erika, waving her baton in his face.

As they finally quieted down, Morisaki and Tatsuya shared a glance without moving.

"I still don't acknowledge you, Shiba Tatsuya," Morisaki said, "Shiba-san's place should be with us." Without waiting for a reply, Morisaki left, the other Course 1 students having already dispersed a while ago.

"Suddenly calling me by my full name, huh," called Tatsuya to the boy's retreating back. Morisaki stopped for a moment, but didn't turn around and ended up leaving without saying anything else.

Beside him, Miyuki was frowning slightly. She had always worried that her brother's knack for making enemies was a disadvantage for him. But, still, she had had enough of Morisaki's prejudices.

"Onii-sama," she said to her brother, "Shall we head back?"

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Tatsuya. He was tired from all of today's needless theatrics. "Leo, Chiba-san, Shibata-san, let's go."

However, two of the class A girls from earlier were still hanging around. One stood in front of them, fidgeting slightly before bowing to them.

"I'm Mitsui Honoka," she said earnestly, "I'm sorry for saying all those things earlier. Thank you for protecting me. Although Morisaki-kun waved it off, it's thanks to Onii-san that this didn't become a huge issue."

Looking at her slight figure and hearing her earnest words, Tatsuya felt rather uncomfortable. "It was nothing," he said, "Although, please stop with the Onii-san. We're both first-year students."

She stood up, several heads shorter than Tatsuya, a strange conviction burning in her violet eyes. Her light brown hair was parted in pigtails, giving her a younger appearance, like she was barely old enough to be in her first year of high school. "I understand," she said, "Then, what should I call you?"

"Tatsuya is fine."

"Alright. And so, um..." she stammered, glancing to and away Miyuki as if trying to tell her something.

"What is it?" Miyuki asked, not unkindly.

Finally, Honoka asked with determined conviction, "Is it alright to together with you to the station?"

Seeing no reason to refuse, they allowed her and her friend, Kitayama Shizuku to walk with them to the station.

For some reason, however, Honoka felt the need to walk right next to Tatsuya, on the other side from Miyuki. Choosing to ignore his slight discomfort from being in between the two of them, the three of them were conversing easily.

"Then," Honoka was saying, "The one who assists with your adjustments is Tatsuya-san?"

"Yes. I feel most at ease when entrusting everything to Onii-sama," answered Miyuki proudly.

Tatsuya felt they were going to get some sort of misunderstanding, so he elaborated, "I just do a little bit of rearranging. Miyuki has amazing processing ability so there's not much CAD maintenance required."

"Even so," chimed in Mizuki, who was walking next to Miyuki, "You have to really know the device OS to even do that much."

Tatsuya shook his head with a light smile. "I don't have the skill to access CAD core systems. That's too much."

"Tatsuya-kun," Erika called from the back where she was walking next to Leo. Since he had agreed to let Honoka call him that, she had decided she could as well, saying that everyone else could call her Erika, as well. Mizuki also insisted they use her name, so everything became official pretty fast. "Could you also look over my CAD?"

"Impossible," answered Tatsuya immediately, "I have no faith in my ability to handle such a specialized CAD."

"Ah ha," said Erika, "You really are quite something, Tatsuya-kun."

"Why?"

"You realized this was my CAD," she laughed as she twirled her baton around her finger with the small strap attached to the bottom.

"Eh?" cried Mizuki, her eyes widening in surprise, "That baton's a device?"

Erika gave two quick nods in satisfaction, saying, "Thank you for your normal reaction, Mizuki. If everyone had already noticed, I would have face-planted!"

"Where is the system built in?" asked Leo, "From the feel of it earlier, it's not totally hollow, is it?"

"No luck," answered Erika happily, "Apart from the handle, it's totally hollow. It increases strength by using carved seals on the alloy. It's activated when I inject Psions in it. Reinforcement magic is your thing, isn't it?"

"If you do that, wouldn't it bleed a lot of Psions? You'd run out of gas pretty often, wouldn't you? Carved seals aren't very efficient, which is why they aren't used as often these days."

At his answer, Erika's eyes widened as she said, "Oooh, your field indeed. But, there's one more thing. Strengthening is only needed during expansion and at the moment of impact. If I limit Psion emission to those points, I don't waste too much. It's the same principle as Helm Splitter, after all..." Noticing the air of shock and amazement, Erika trailed off. "What happened, guys?"

Miyuki answered on behalf of everyone, "Erika, I'm pretty sure something like the Helm Splitter was classified as a secret or mystery technique. Knowing the details about that is far more amazing than just emitting a large amount of Psions."

"Both Tatsuya-kun and Mizuki-san are amazing, and now Erika-chan's amazing, too," said Mizuki faintly, "Are normal people rare at our high school?"

At Mizuki's natural remark, Kitayama Shizuku, who had been silent until now said matter-of-factly, "I don't think there are any normal people at a magic high school." It was an extremely precise remark, and the group fell into silence until they reached the station where they said their goodbyes for the night.


	4. Chapter 3: Part 1

Because Magic High School had its own personal station in the tram system, it was not unusual for students to ride and then walk to school together without having planned to meet up beforehand. Mizuki, Erika, and Leo had done just that and then run into Tatsuya and Miyuki as they were getting off of the tram. Even though they had not known each other for long, the group of five got along well. Tatsuya smiled slightly as they exchanged greetings. Walking to school with friends was not a bad way to begin the day, he thought.

"Tatsuya-kun, do you know the President?" asked Mizuki suddenly.

Tatsuya furrowed his brow slightly, and answered hesitantly, "We met for the first time during the entrance ceremony... so, yes."

"Really?" asked Leo, "It certainly didn't look like a first meeting!"

"It was as if she was looking specifically for you," chimed in Erika.

Tatsuya had enough confidence in his memory to say that he had definitely never met Saegusa Mayumi before the entrance ceremony. But, he conceded, they did have a point. She had been extremely familiar with him as if they had been acquaintances. Tatsuya shrugged, saying, "Maybe it was because Miyuki is the freshman representative?

At this, Miyuki shook her head, "But she mentioned your name specifically, Onii-sama."

Before they could continue, a loud voice sang out from behind them, the volume making Tatsuya wince slightly, "Tatsuya-kun!" As if she had been summoned, Saegusa Mayumi herself jogged over to the group, her eyes twinkling brightly. Her dark hair fell in waves down her back, most of it held out of her eyes by a black-and-white ribbon tied in a neat bow on the back of her head. When she reached the group, she brushed her hair over shoulder and said with a dazzling smile, "Tatsuya-kun! Good morning!" She turned to Miyuki, bowing her head politely and greeted her as well, "And Miuki as well. Good morning."

"Good morning," replied Tatsuya and Miyuki with polite bows. The other three exchanged very polite and reserved greetings with the President, slightly timid in her presence.

"Are you alone, President?" asked Miyuki, even though it was quite obvious there was no one with her.

"There isn't really anyone who walks with me to school in the morning," confirmed the President matter-of-factly. "Actually, may I walk with you all?" she continued, "I would like to speak with Miyuki about a few things."

"Um..." began Miyuki, glancing around at the group hesitantly, "If it's quite alright..."

"Oh, it's not like the topic is a secret," said Mayumi lightly, waving her hand casually in the air. "Or," she added with a knowing smile to Erika, Leo, and Mizuki who were trying to discreetly and diplomatically walk away, "would you prefer to talk at a later time?" The three froze with sheepish smiles, as Tatsuya stepped in to relieve the sudden pressure in the air.

"President," he began, his tone betraying no sign of emotion, "I feel as if your attitude towards one of us is slightly different... Or is that just my misinterpretation?"

Leo, Erika, and Mizuki were mortified at his directness, immediately chorusing, "Of course not!" accompanied by emphatic head shakes and arm movements.

However, at the same moment, Mayumi herself smiled and nodded. "Is that so?" she asked lightly through her smile.

Tatsuya frowned slightly. Was she incorrigible?

Before things could devolve any further, Miyuki frantically changed the topic back to herself. "Is the subject you wish to speak about the Student Council?" she asked Mayumi.

"Right," she answered, "I meant to find an opportunity to speak with you in detail... Do you have any plans during lunch break?"

"I plan on eating in the cafeteria."

"With Tatsuya-kun?"

"No," replied Miyuki lowering her head and voice slightly as she remembered the events of yesterday, "Onii-sama and I are in different classes."

Mayumi nodded her understanding, saying, "There are quite a lot of students that care about these little things." She continued, "But, in that case, would you care to join me in the Student Council room for lunch? If you don't mind bentos, the room has an automatic meal dispenser."

At this, even the normally stoic Miyuki raised her voice in amazement, "The Student Council Room is equipped with the Dinner Server Module?"

Mayumi chuckles slightly, explaining, "I don't really want to talk about it too much before entering the Student Council room, but it is for students working late into the day." She grins rather mischievously, adding, "And, since it's the Student Council room, it is not a problem if Tatsuya-kun tags along as well."

At her teasing tone and behavior, Tatsuya inwardly sighed. Everything she said threatened to give him a headache as he thought tried to notice what she really meant. It was best to keep some distance between them, he decided. "Speaking of problems," he began bluntly, "there is one. There seems to be some conflict between myself and the Vice-President. I'm terribly sorry." Tatsuya had guessed that the male student who had been glaring at him during his brief run-in with the President during the entrance ceremony was the Vice-President. If he went to the Student Council room, there would undoubtedly be some conflict.

"The Vice-President?" asked Mayumi, tilting her head to one side. Then she clapped her hands lightly and said, "If it's Hanzou-kun, you don't have to worry about it. There won't be a problem."

"But even so..." began Tatsuya, searching desperately for something to keep him out of the Student Council room.

"Hanzou-kun will be in the clubroom for lunch break," said Mayumi with a smile as if that settled things. "In that case," she continued, her broad smile remaining fixed in place as she turned to the other three, "everyone can come as well. Letting everyone know about the Student Council's activities is one of our duties as well."

Despite the atmosphere and situation, Erika said, "Even though it's a rare opportunity, I think we'll pass."

At this unexpected response*, the air thickened, and Tatsuya stared at Mayumi, waiting for her reaction. After that obvious refusal, it would be near impossible for Erika, Leo, and Mizuki to smooth things over with Mayumi.

However, the broad smile on Mayumi's face did not falter for a second. "Is that so?" she asked, her light tone unchanged from earlier. Tatsuya shook his head in amazement. Was she actually this dense or did she perhaps understand something the rest of them did not?

"In that case," she continued smoothly, "just the two of you then."

_What do I do? _Miyuki asked Tatsuya silently, her eyes wide. Tatsuya sighed in defeat. Up until that moment, he might have been able to get away with a refusal, but, after Erika's response, there was no way to smoothly decline.

"I understand," he said, his calm voice belying the frustration he felt at having been roped into agreeing, "Miyuki and I will be intruding on you then."

"Excellent," replied Mayumi, her face impossibly brightening, "Then the details can wait until later. I'll wait for the two of you!" Turning quickly, she left them with a spring in her step.

In contrast, the footsteps of the five who watched Mayumi leave became quite heavy. Tatsuya sighed once more in her wake, feeling a headache approaching.

-O-

*Note: In Japanese culture, it is very rare to outright refuse something. In many cases, it is considered rude to do so. Instead of outright refusing something, it is more common to say something like, "That is a little inconvenient." or even just "That is a little..." A response like that will be understood as a refusal unless followed by a suggestion for a different time or activity or something. That and the fact that the one inviting them has seniority over them is why Erika's response creates a really awkward atmosphere here.

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Lunch break arrived too soon. Tatsuya's dread increased with every step, his footsteps dragging more and more as they climbed the flights of stairs to the Student Council room. Miyuki, however, was the complete opposite of Tatsuya; her footsteps remained light and energetic. In consideration of his sister's joy, Tatsuya chose not to complain, and steeled himself to face whatever may come.

The Student Council room was at the end of the hallway on the fourth floor, made obvious by a big white sign hanging on the door. A speaker was embedded on the wall next to the door, and several cleverly disguised safety devices lined the frame and the surrounding wall.

Since Miyuki had been the one originally invited, she stepped up to the speaker, pressing a button to request entry. A cheerful voice beckoned them to enter, and the door unlocked with a sound so slight it was practically silent. Out of habit, Tatsuya opened the door, using his body to shield Miyuki as he checked the inside. Even they both knew the probability that something was going to happen that required that level of caution was extremely low, neither thought it odd to enter in this way. This behavior was simply so deeply ingrained in them that it became natural.

Of course, nothing happened, and Mayumi beckoned them inside with a pleased smile, "Welcome! Please, come in. Don't mind us."

Mayumi was sitting at the opposite end of a long, wooden table positioned in the middle of the room and directly in front of the door. Three others sat in a row along the right side of the table, two from the Council, and the other from Public Moral Committee. The council member closest to the siblings had light brown curls that framed her face, and a petite figure that made her seem younger than the rest of them. Her green eyes sparkled with barely-suppressed curiosity and amazement as Miyuki executed a textbook-perfect bow of formality.

Sitting to that girl's right was the representative from the Public Moral Committee, Watanabe Mari, who seemed just as curious and overwhelmed by Miyuki's formality as the rest of them. Her dark brown hair barely covered the tips of her ears, giving her a boyish and confident look. She blinked her light-brown eyes, her mouth slightly open as if she were searching for some way to respond.

Finally, the one farthest from the two siblings at the door and closest to the President was the second council member. She seemed unimpressed by the two of them; her straight black hair draped over her shoulder as she pointedly ignored them, instead looking coolly at the President. Even so, Tatsuya could tell even she was a little bit intimidated by his sister's introduction.

To break the tense atmosphere created by Miyuki's perfect bow, Mayumi reacted almost instantly. "Eh," she said, waving them in, "There's no need to be so formal." She spoke quickly, perhaps even she was feeling the pressure from Miyuki. Tatsuya almost smiled. Miyuki seemed to be quite motivated today, he thought with pride.

"Please sit," continued Mayumi, the intimate friendliness in her voice seemingly having been washed away in Miyuki's wake, "We can eat while we talk."

Normally, Miyuki would insist that Tatsuya take a seat closer to the head of the table than her, but she settled for the the seat directly to the right of the President since she was the focus of today's meeting. Tatsuya pulled the chair out for her then sat down next to her.

"Meat, fish, or vegetarian," prompted Mayumi, "Which do you prefer?"

Tatsuya replied with vegetarian, and Miyuki followed suit. The youngest member, most likely the second-year secretary, if Tatsuya remembered correctly, got up and activated the large, silver, cabinet-like machine lined up against the wall behind Tatsuya and Miyuki, inputting their orders. Then she made her way back around the table to her seat.

After regaining her bearings, Mayumi began, "We have already introduced ourselves once at the enrollment ceremony, but, just in case, let's go over them again. To my left here is our Accountant, Ichihara Suzune, also known as Rin-chan."

The stern-faced accountant sighed, "You're the only one who every calls me that, President." Even despite her cool demeanor, her long limbs and willowy frame gave her an air of grace and beauty.

"I believe you should already know who's sitting next to her," continued Mayumi, "You have already met the chair of the Public Moral Committee, Watanabe Mari." The person in question acknowledged them with a slight nod, but did not say anything.

"And following her is our Secretary, Nakajou Azusa. Also known as A-chan."

At that, the petite Azusa looked up, her round face, petite figure, and shining round eyes making her seem like a child about to cry. "President!" she exclaimed in a petite voice befitting her appearance, "Please don't call me A-chan in front of the underclassmen. I have my position to think of, too!"

"The last one would be Vice President Hanzou," finished Mayumi, "And that makes up all the members of the Student Council Committee."

"Which I am not a part of," interjected Mari, her first words of the meeting.

"Ah, yes. Mari is not a part of the Student Council," acknowledged Mayumi with a nod. Before she could elaborate, however, the Dinner Server Module let out a ding to indicate it had finished preparing the meals. Tatsuya turned to the machine as the cover opened, presenting five neat and proper meals, almost identical. _We're short one,_ thought Tatsuya. Even as he was thinking of a solution, Mari quietly took out a hand-made bento box for herself.

Seeing Azusa stand up, Miyuki stood as well, grabbing both her meal and Tatsuya's. Azusa put her own tray on the table then brought over Mayumi's and Suzune's as well.

Without a topic to focus on, Miyuki tried to break the ice with a question, "Did you make that bento yourself, Watanabe-senpai?"

"Yes," replied Mari almost defensively, "Are you surprised?"

Shocked by her quick answer, Miyuki fumbled for an answer, "No, just a little..."

"I see," interjected Tatsuya before his sister could finish, his voice indicating doubt as he pointedly eyed Mari's perfectly clean fingers. Those were not the hands of someone who cooked often nor someone who could make a bento as neat as hers, he thought. Noticing his stare, Mari self-consciously rubbed her hands together, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Let's start bringing bentos of our own tomorrow," said Miyuki brightly, as if nothing had happened, releasing the pressure.

Immediately, Tatsuya turned to Miyuki, following her suit and politely not pressing the matter with Mari. "Your bentos are certainly incredible," he said, "but is there anywhere we could eat them?"

"Oh, yes," realized Miyuki glumly, "We need somewhere to eat them."

To onlookers unaccustomed to the strong relationship between the two siblings, the two's dialogue and atmosphere might seem more like lovers than siblings.

Suzune, making this observation, said with a dry smile, "Just like a pair of lovers, you two."

"Is that so?" responded Tatsuya glibly, "If we weren't siblings, then we would be lovers, is that what you think?"

As the Secretary Azusa's eyes widened and everyone's face reddened, Tatsuya clarified with a dry smile, "Of course, that was a joke."

"You," said Mari exasperatedly, "are quite boring!"

"I think so, too," responded Tatsuya immediately, calmly nodding his head in agreement.

"Ok, ok! Let's leave end this subject here," intervened Mayumi, foreseeing how that conversation could devolve perpetually. "Mari," she continued, "I know it's tough to swallow, but Tatsuya-kun is a difficult person to handle."

After a moment, Mari conceded with a slight smile, "That's true. I take back my earlier comment. You are an interesting guy, Tatsuya-kun."

Tatsuya inwardly sighed as Mari picked up Mayumi's habit of calling him by his first name.

As they finished eating, Mayumi clapped her hands together lightly, saying, "It's about time we get to the point." Everyone nodded in agreement, and Mayumi continued, "Because our school places heavy emphasis on self-determination, the Student Council has been granted vast powers within the confines of the school. And this is not just our school. Most public high schools have adopted a similar method."

With the victory in the Okinawa Defense Battle three years ago and the subsequent rise in international voice, the old management-centric style of society that led to diplomatic disadvantages and internal unrest was swept out in favor of self-determination. However, in time, there was another reverse with a portion of private high schools adopting a harsh management-centric philosophy. Tatsuya, however, favored more the principle of self-determination.

"Our Student Council uses the traditional method of concentrating the power and authority in the president. This presidential style can also be described as extreme centralization. The president is elected by the student body, the other members are selected by the president. With a few exceptions, the president has the right of appointment and removal of all officers."

At these words, Tatsuya felt a slight sense of unease, although he showed no outward sign of it as that would be discourteous to Mayumi, the current president.

Mari took over the explanation, saying, "My position as the Chair of the Public Moral Committee is one of those exceptions. The Student Council, the Club Management Group, and the teachers each select a representative to determine this position."

"And because of this," said Mayumi, taking back the reigns, "Mari holds the same authority I do on some level. Under the rules, the president has a term period, but the others do not. The term lasts from October first to September 30 of the next year. Between this time, the president has the right of appointment and removal for all officers."

Tatsuya nodded his understanding without interrupting the president.

Mayumi continued, finally getting to the reason she had invited Miyuki and Tatsuya to lunch, "There is an annual tradition to invite the 1st Year representative to the Student Council, with the intent of training them to become the successor. Hopefully, the 1st Year representative will be elected to be the next Student Council President. Although it is not a guarantee, this has been the case for the past 5 years."

"So, President Mayumi, you were also a first-year representative?" noticed Tatsuya, "Quite impressive."

To Tatsuya's surprise, Mayumi blushed, stammering out her thanks to his obvious flattery. Tatsuya narrowed his eyes, unsure if she was faking her easily-embarassed self or always-two-steps-ahead self.

"So," Mayumi continued after the color left her cheeks, "I'd hoped you would join the Student Council, Miyuki. Are you willing to accept?"

Taking a deep breath, Miyuki looked down at her hands. After a moment, she glanced at Tatsuya, a question glistening in her eyes. _What do you think I should do?_

Tatsuya shrugged his shoulders. He would rather neither he nor her get so involved, but the decisions was hers, so he nodded slightly. _It's up to you._

Once again, Miyuki looked down at her hands. She took a deep breath as if preparing herself before looking up at everyone, her face set determinedly. "President," she said, "Are you aware of Onii-sama's entrance exam scores?"

At this completely unexpected development, it was all Tatsuya could do to remain silent. _What are you trying to do?_ He tried asking with a frown, but Miyuki pointedly ignored him.

After a thoughtful moment, Mayumi answered slowly, "I do know of it. Truly incredible... To be honest, when I stole a glance at the teacher's results, even I lost confidence."

"Then if the Student Council accepts students with high test scores and outstanding abilities, I believe Onii-sama fits the criteria as well."

As Miyuki paused to move on to her next point, Tatsuya took the opportunity to head her off before things got any more complicated, saying, "Wait, Mi..."

"And in terms of Desk Work, or Theoretical Manipulation," continued Miyuki as if Tatsuya hadn't said anything at all, "I believe that has nothing to do with practical skills or grades. For that, at least, knowledge and judgement are more important."

Tatsuya was shocked into silence. It was a rare occurrence for Miyuki to cut anyone off, let alone _him. _

"I am honored to have received an invitation to join the Student Council," finished Miyuki, "I would be more than happy to accept even the lowest position, but is there any way Onii-sama could join?" She did her best to turn this into a deferential question, but it was obvious to everyone present that it was an ultimatum. Tatsuya wanted to cover his face and look skywards. Miyuki should know that blatant nepotism like this would only lead to others' discomfort.

"Sorry. That is not possible," quietly and apologetically answered the Accountant, Suzune, "Student Council Members must be selected from Course One students. This is the only clause that is attached to the right of appointment and removal for the president. A special amendment meeting with the attendance of the full student body and approval by a two-thirds majority is required to change this. And since the number of Course one and Course two students are practically equal, meeting those conditions is realistically impossible."

In response to Suzune's logical and apologetic explanation, Miyuki rose to her feet and bowed deeply to apologize. "I am sorry," she said, her voice artificially calm and collected, "I said all of that without understanding the situation. Please forgive me."

No one reprimanded her, sympathetic to her cause. As Miyuki sat back down, Mayumi said, "In that case, Miyuki, you will join the Student Council with the title of secretary. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes," replied Miyuki, bowing her head politely, "I will work hard to fulfill my duties. Please look after me."

Mayumi nodded, and said with a smile, "You can get the details from A-chan."

"As I just said, President," cried Azusa in response to her name, "... Please stop calling me A-chan..."

"If there are no complications, can you come today after school?" Mayumi continued, completely ignoring Azusa's protests.

Sensing she was about to turn to him, Tatsuya said shortly, "Miyuki." He nodded in agreement with Mayumi's suggestion.

Miyuki nodded as well, saying, "I understand. Then, should I come here after school?"

"Yes, that would be fine. I'll wait here for you, Miyuki."

"Hey~" interjected Azusa, "Why am I called A-chan, but you still call Shiba-san 'Miyuki'?"

On some level, this was a valid question, but Azusa was once again ignored as Mari raised her hand with a thought. Tatsuya was beginning to pity her a little.

"May I say something?" asked Mari. When everyone's attention was on her, she continued suggestively, "The roster for the Public Moral Committee still has one empty spot that has not been filled."

"There's no need to hurry, Mari," said Mayumi, "We are still reviewing possible candidates and school only started a week ago."

"I think," Mari continued, "according to the rules of the student council, all members aside from the president must be Course 1 students, right?"

"Yes," answered Mayumi shortly.

"And only Course 1 students are allowed to fill the positions of Vice President, Accountant, Secretary, and related roles, right?"

"Yes. The rules stipulate that the council is made up of the President, Vice president, Accountant, and Secretary roles."

"In other words, there is no restriction for bringing a Course 2 student into the Public Moral Committee."

"Mari, you..." began Mayumi before trailing off, her eyes wide in surprise. Suzune and Azusa stared at Mari in surprise, while Tatsuya shook his head. It seemed Mari was quite the practical joker; there was no way they would accept such a blatant bending of the rules.

However, just as Tatsuya was thinking it would never happen, Mayumi cried out, "Nice, Mari!"

Tatsuya couldn't help but let out an "Ah?" of surprise in response to Mayumi's enthusiastic response.

"Yes," continued Mayumi, "There's no problem with the Public Moral Committee! Mari, the Student Council nominates Shiba Tatsuya as a Public Moral Committee member."

Within an instant, Tatsuya had been pulled into what promised to be a troubling business. As everyone nodded there head as if the matter had been settled, Tatsuya raised his voice in protest, "Wait a minute! Shouldn't you take into account my thoughts on the matter? And you haven't even told me what a duties of a Public Moral Committee are."

Suzune immediately shot down Tatsuya's objection, pointing out, "We didn't really go into detail about your sister's duty on the Student Council, either."

"That's true, but..." replied Tatsuya slowly, searching for something else to use.

Mayumi cut in before he could say anything else. "Tatsuya-kun, the job of a Public Moral Committee member is to uphold the public moral on campus," she said as if that explained everything.

When it became obvious she wasn't going to elaborate, Tatsuya prompted, "Is that all?"

With a bright smile, Mayumi said, "While the job doesn't come with any sense of accomplishment and is also quite troublesome... um... it's also quite rewarding, I think."

"That wasn't what I meant," said Tatsuya, doing his best to hide his exasperation.

"Hm?" said the President, feigning confusion.

Giving up on getting anything real from Mayumi, Tatsuya turned his gaze to the other three members. Suzune gave him a pitying look, but made no move to help him out of this whole. Mari, for her part, was looking on in amusement. He would get no help from her. His gaze settled on Azusa, who started when his eyes made contact with hers. He locked his stare on her, and she began to fidget, looking left and right, desperate for an escape.

Finally, just as Tatsuya predicted, Azusa gave in to the pressure and explained, "Um... Our school's Public Moral Committee is an organization that is responsible for policing those who break the rules. In terms of public morals, they usually consist of things like uniform regulations or tardiness, but these are usually handled by the members appointed by the Self-Governing Committee."

Tatsuya was beginning to become a little concerned for his future job duties.

"...Um... Do you have any questions?"

"No. Please continue."

"Ah, OK," replied Azusa timidly before continuing as if reading from a textbook, "The primary duties of the Public Moral Committee are to identify those that use magic against school rules and to subjugate those that use magic on campus to cause a disturbance. After the Public Moral Committee member decides the necessary punishment, he or she will present before the Disciplinary Committee alongside the President and Student Representative. In short, they are both the police and the prosecutor."

"Isn't that wonderful, Onii-sama," chimed in Miyuki, her delight evident in her voice.

"No, Miyuki," Tatsuya sighed exasperatedly, "Please wait a little before deciding that I am going to accept. Just in case, let me clarify a few things."

"Clarify what?" asked Azusa.

"According to the earlier explanation, the Public Moral Committee member's mission is to halt any conflicts upon discovery, correct?" Tatsuya asked, looking to Mari for confirmation.

"Well, that's true," said Mari, nodding, "We also intercede on non-magical conflicts."

"Also, if magic was used, our intervention is mandatory?"

"If possible, it would be best if the conflict was resolved prior to the use of magic."

"That's my point!" exclaimed Tatsuya, his voice finally rising to match his exasperation, "My technical grade is terrible. And, on top of that, I'm a Course 2 student!" This task obviously required magical prowess in order to overwhelm the opponent. It was not a job suited for a Course 2 student with terrible technical skills.

However, Mari shook her said, saying, "It's not a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"In competitions of power, I will handle it," Mari said, glancing at the clock, "However, lunch break is almost over. Let's continue this conversation after school. Any objection?"

After a moment of silence, Tatsuya conceded, saying, "I understand."

"Then, we'll meet again here," she said.

Suppressing his objections, Tatsuya nodded his head reluctantly. To his side, Miyuki could understand her brother's thoughts, but still could not hide her elation at things going her way.

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First year, Class E was in the middle of a practice class. Instead of a teacher directing the class, the students were following the instructions displayed on a wall monitor to operate the built-in CAD for educational use. Students were lined up in groups of four behind several pedestals containing the built-in CAD's. In front of each of those, a track was laid out with a flatbed car on one end. The assignment was to use the CAD to direct the flatbed car from one end of the track to the other and back again, to be repeated three times. As soon as a student completed this task, they were free to leave.

Tatsuya was in line behind Erika and in front of Mizuki and Leo.

"Tatsuya," Leo said, poking him in the back, "How did the Student Council Room feel?"

Tatsuya turned sideways so he could monitor when his turn came up and talk to Leo at the same time. Looking at Leo, it seemed he was simply curious, and Tatsuya answered honestly, "It turned into a rather intriguing conversation."

Hearing this, Erika turned around, asking, "Intriguing?"

"They asked me to join the Public Moral Committee," sighed Tatsuya, "Honestly, how did it even come to this so suddenly?"

"You're right," Leo sympathized, "That is pretty surprising."

On her way back to the end of the line to try the assignment again, Mizuki overheard this and said, "But isn't it great to be scouted by the Student Council?"

"Great?" repeated Tatsuya furrowing his eyebrows slightly, "Isn't it merely a complementary bundle for my sister?"

"Hey, let's stop with this self-deprecation," said Erika with a smile, "So, what does the Public Moral Committee do, anyway?"

Tatsuya repeated what he had heard from Azusa, and all three of them expressed their sympathy.

Almost as if to herself, Erika muttered, "Really? So impulsive."

Hearing this, Mizuki asked worriedly, "Erika-chan?"

As if snapped back to reality, Erika said, "Ah? Oh, sorry. That really is going too far. Tatsuya-kun, you are better off declining such a dangerous task." After a moment, however, Erika's solemn expression was replaced by a mischievous grin as she said, "On second thought, this is quite interesting! Why don't you accept, Tatsuya-kun? I'll cheer you on!"

"But if you have to intervene in conflicts, won't you be the target of magical attacks as well?" asked Leo. Tatsuya nodded his agreement.

"On the other hand," countered Erika, "rather than letting those pretentious Course 1 students hog all the limelight, don't you think it's better if Tatsuya does it?"

Leo nodded thoughtfully, saying, "Well, that might be true."

At this, Mizuki piped up worriedly, "Erika-chan, please don't think of it that way! If we don't want that to happen, wouldn't it be better not to get into fights in the first place?"

"But, Mizuki," Erika said, "even if we don't plan on it, aren't there times when we have to put out fires? Like yesterday, for example."

"Well..."

"There is a lot of suspicion and injustice in the world. We can't always expect a positive result if we concede all the time."

"Erika," Tatsuya intervened, trying to head off the conversation before it ended up in dangerous territory, "It's your turn."

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" said Erika, slightly flustered as she took her position in front of the CAD. She set her back squarely, placing her hand on the tilted surface of the pedestal, where the CAD interface was built-in. She took a breath, and, in less than a second, a faint light shown around her and the flatbed truck began to move smoothly across the track.

The presence of psion-light as a sequence was being activated indicated that the activation and subsequent invocation was not completely efficient. When there are enough leftover psions, photon interference between psions results in a physical manifestation of psion-light, visible only to fellow Magicians. An absence of light would indicate excellent control over one's abilities. Highly skilled Magicians leave behind only a small amount of light, and the amount Erika emitted was well within the acceptable limit for a first-year student.

As the car returned to it's position in front of her, Erika turned to the group, holding up two fingers in a V-shape and crying, "Yes!" Her speed and control had improved since the first time they had completed this assignment. She passed Tatsuya and took her place behind Mizuki in the line.

Tatsuya stepped up to the pedestal, using the foot pedal to adjust the CAD height to make it more comfortable for him. He placed his hand on the white, transparent touchpad on the pedestal's surface and began activating the sequence to begin accelerating the car. After a moment, activation was confirmed and Tatsuya began building the invocation sequence.

Several seconds later, the car stumbled a few times before advancing to the other end. After it's third trip, Tatsuya returned to the back of the line with Erika and Mizuki, well aware of and frustrated by his disappointing performance. Between activating the sequence and the car actually moving, Tatsuya's time was much longer than Erika's. Out of the people in Class E, he realized he would definitely be one of the bottom-feeders when it came to practical skills.

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After school, Tatsuya and Miyuki once again made their way to the Student Council room, although this time Tatsuya's footsteps were even heavier than before. Instead of being buzzed through the door like last time, Tatsuya's and Miyuki's I.D.'s were apparently already register with the certification system and they walked in by themselves.

Tatsuya walked in first, immediately detecting a hostile gaze from someone in the room. Looking around, he noticed the four from earlier were still in the room. Suzune and Azusa were sitting in chairs along the right side of the room, in front of two large terminals. The President was still sitting at the head of the table and Mari was standing next to her, most likely in the midst of discussing whatever was laid out in front of them.

The one that grabbed his attention the most, however, was the owner of the hostile gaze. The boy, most likely the Vice President Hattori Hanzou, was standing alongside the opposite wall of windows, his head turned and eyes narrowed at Tatsuya.

As Miyuki stopped next to him, Tatsuya, accustomed to dealing with atmospheres of hostility, bowed in silence, his face completely impassive. Miyuki bowed with him saying, "Excuse us!"

The Vice-President's hostile gaze softened as his eyes landed on Miyuki. He approached the two of them - or rather, approached Miyuki. Tatsuya eyed him coolly as he stopped in front of Miyuki. He was about as tall as Tatsuya, but his shoulders were more narrow. His face was handsome enough, but his build was unremarkable - neither very big nor very small. However, from the way Psion light clung to the air around to his body, Tatsuya reasoned he must have considerable Magic Power.

"I am the Vice President, Hattori Gyoubu," he said in a rather stiff tone, "Shiba Miyuki, welcome to the Student Council." His right hand moved forward a little bit, as if he were going to offer his hand to shake, but he stopped the motion prematurely, gave a short, stiff bow of the head and returned to his seat without any indication that Tatsuya was even there.

Next to him, Miyuki's fist clenched and her face pinched in anger. Tatsuya readied himself to step in before she blew up in anger, but her face returned to normal after a moment as if a cloud had just passed over. Tatsuya sighed in relief, proud of his little sister for her self-control.

Oblivious to the catastrophe that almost happened, Mari raised a hand to casually greet them, "Ah, you're here."

Welcome, Miyuki," said Mayumi, looking up from her work, "You too, Tatsuya-kun. Good work." Clapping her hands once to get everyone's attention, Mayumi said, "Now that you're here... A-chan, if you please."

Upon hearing her nickname, Azusa's head drooped and her smile wilted. After a moment, she looked up with a wooden smile, giving a resigned, "Yes." It seems she had given up on getting the President to call her by the right name. She led Miyuki over to the third terminal next to hers and began setting her up there.

Mari stood up, approaching Tatsuya. "Well," she said, "Let's be off, then."

It has only been a day, and she's already speaking so casually, though Tatsuya. He, however, responded the way he normally did to anyone: in the most efficient way possible, "Where to?"

"Public Moral Committee headquarters," Mari said, "There's a lot of things you need to see firsthand to understand. It's located directly underneath this room. That being said, they're both connected."

Tatsuya took a slow breath before replying, "That's a strange design."

"I thought so, too," agreed Mari, walking past Tatsuya to the door.

However, before Tatsuya could follow, the Vice President stood up loudly, saying, "Watanabe-senpai, please wait a minute."

Mari turned around at the door, an eyebrow raised. "Is something the matter Hattori Gyoubushoujou Hanzou?" she asked.

Immediately, the Vice President cried indignantly as blood dyed his cheeks a rosy color, "Please don't call me by my full name!"

"Then let's go with Vice President Hattori Hanzou."

"Please call me Hattori Gyoubu!"

"But isn't that just your family's official title?"

"It has nothing to do with the title now! The school has already accepted the name 'Hattori Gyoubu'!" The Vice President cut himself off here, realizing he the focus had shifted. "No," he continued exasperatedly, "That's not what I wanted to say."

Mari smiled teasingly, "It's because you're too stiff and formal, you know."

"Okay, okay," interrupted Mayumi placatingly, "Mari, let Vice President Hanzou be."

Everyone's eyes fell on her, and a silence fell. Mentally, Tatsuya sighed, waiting for Hattori to turn his objections to her. Surprisingly, however, Hattori said nothing Mayumi.

Instead, he turned back to Mari, saying, "Watanabe-senpai, the topic I wanted to speak with you about is precisely the replacements for the Public Moral Committee."

"What?"

"I object to you appointing this first year student to the Public Moral Committee," Hattori said bluntly.

Mari's eyes furrowed in either surprise or anger, Tatsuya couldn't tell. "What is this nonsense?" She asked, "President Saegusa herself nominated Shiba Tatsuya-kun. Even though it was only verbal, the right of appointment lies with her and her alone."

"I have heard that the receiving party has not agreed," Hattori countered calmly, "Despite the nomination, the matter is unofficial until he personally agrees."

Mari narrowed her eyes at the Vice President, saying, "That is up to Shiba Tatsuya-kun himself. The President has already made clear where the Student Council stands on this matter. The final decision is his, not yours."

As Tatsuya looked around the room, he noticed everyone in the room watching the scene unfold. Mayumi held her traditional smile fixed in place; Suzune looked on impassively; Azusa fidgeted nervously; and Miyuki sat impossibly still and cold. Tatsuya eyed her worriedly, noticing the rising anger behind her ice-cold eyes.

"There is no precedence for appointing a _Weed_ to the Public Moral Committee!" cried Hattori, defensively.

Mari's face hardened, and she said, "That is a taboo term, Vice President Hattori, banned by the Public Moral Committee. You have a lot of nerve uttering that term in front of me, the Chair of the Public Moral Committee."

In the face of Mari's warning, Hattori remained unfazed. "You can ban that term all you want," he continued, "Do you plan on punishing a third of the entire student body? The difference between Blooms and Weeds is something written into the school system and acknowledged by the school itself! Public Moral Committee members are responsible for the task of subjugating students that break school rules. A _Weed_ with inferior abilities is utterly incapable of accomplishing that task."

Mari nodded, saying "It is true that the Public Moral Committee is ability-based, but ability comes in many forms. If we need to use strength for suppression, that's what I'm here for. Even if I'm up against 10 or even 20 opponents, I can handle them alone. In this school, the only people that can go one on one against me are President Saegusa and Club Management Group Leader Juumonji. And if what you are saying is correct, then people with low combat capability are unnecessary." She smiled coldly as she added, "So, do you plan to challenge me, Vice President Hattori?"

Realizing he was no match for her ability-wise, Hattori backed down slightly but was not ready to give up the fight. "That isn't my problem," he said, "It is about his ability to adapt."

"Did I not say ability comes in many forms?" Mari retorted immediately, "Tatsuya-kun can read the activation sequence and thus can accurately predict the magic being invoked just by seeing it."

Reflexively, in disbelief, Hattori asked, "What did you say?" There was so much information contained in an activation sequence that it was practically impossible for a person to process it in the time it takes to invoke the magic. What Mari said should be impossible for a person without any aid at all.

"In other words," Mari continued. "He already knows what magic his opponent is using before it is invoked. According to our school rules, the level of punishment changes depending on the type of magic used. Unfortunately, if we were to disrupt the activation sequence before invocation like Mayumi did the other day, there is no way to tell what magic was originally used. And ff we waited until the activation sequence finished, then that would defeat the entire purpose of intervening in a fight. Thus, it is safer to disrupt magic during the activation sequence. Without any definite proof of wrong-doing, the only thing we can charge them with is attempted disruption and the subsequent lighter punishment. But, with Tatsuya, we can properly catch those with the intent to use stronger magics while still maintaining the safety of everyone on campus."

Losing steam after the shock of that revelation, Hattori said, "But, if he ran across an actual crime scene, and was unable to stop the magic invocation..."

Mari immediately countered, "In that case, stopping that invocation would probably be beyond a first year Course 1 student, as well. Actually, probably beyond even second-year students, too. How many people do you know that are able to invoke second and still manage to disrupt their opponent's invocation?" She gave him no time to answer before continuing, "Besides that, there's another reason I want him to join the Public Moral Committee. To this day there is no Public Moral Committee member that comes from Course 2 students. In other words, Course 2 students that improperly use magic against school rules are always apprehended by Course 1 students. Course 1 students can apprehend Course 2 students, but the reverse is not true. This configuration has only served to widen the divide between Course 1 and Course 2 students. I do not like it that the committee members under my command are only serving to widen this rift."

"Ah... Quite impressive, Mari," chimed in Mayumi lightly, "You have thought that far ahead? And here I thought you only cared about Tatsuya-kun."

Suzune shook her head, quietly reprimanding her, "Please be quiet, President."

Mayumi shot her a reproachful look as Hattori finally exploded.

"President," he began, "as the Vice President, I object to appointing Shiba Tatsuya as a Public Morals Committee member. While I accept that Chair Watanabe has got a point in her assertion, the original mission of a Public Morals Committee member is to uncover and subjugate the school's rule breakers. A Course 2 student who is lacking in magic ability can't perform the duties of a Public Morals Committee member. Such a misplaced appointment will surely damage your reputation as the President! Please, reconsider."

"Please wait!" As Miyuki's voice sounded out, Tatsuya frantically turned to face her. Absorbed as he was in Mari's speech, he had missed his opportunity to restrain her anger. He opened his mouth to pre-empt her outburst, but was too late to stop her.

"This may sound audacious, Vice President," she continued, "Onii-sama's practical magic results may indeed be unfavorable, but that was merely because the practical test was not effective in gauging Onii-sama's strength. In a real battle, he would not lose to anyone."

At Miyuki's words filled with utter certainty, Mari and Mayumi turned serious gazes to the pair of siblings. Hattori, however, simply narrowed his eyes at Miyuki.

"Shiba-san," he admonished, "Regardless of what happens, a Magician must make judgements calmly and logically. Individual bias may be unavoidable for a normal person, but, for one who is aiming to become a Magician, please bear in mind that you should not let your individual bias cloud your judgement."

Tatsuya understood Hattori was most likely just trying to act as a proper 'upperclassman' should by giving advice to his junior, but he had taken it too far by suggesting that his little sister was anything but clear-minded.

At his accusation, Miyuki bristled in anger, "Pardon me for saying so, but my judgement is not clouded! If Onii-sama could use more of his power-"

"Miyuki," Tatsuya interrupted with a wave of his hand before she could finish her sentence.

Realizing she had already said too much, Miyuki closed her mouth with a mix of embarrassment and regret. To get the attention off his sister, Tatsuya walked up to Hattori, saying, "Vice President Hattori, why don't we have a mock battle?"

There was a moment of shocked silence as everyone came to terms with the daring retaliation.

As everyone watched, Hattori began to shake in anger, "Don't get ahead of yourself! You're a mere reserve!"

Noticing a cold smile lifting Tatsuya's lips, Hattori snarled, "What's so funny?"

Without missing a beat, Tatsuya replied calmly, "A Magician should always remain calm, right?"

Hattori's eyes bulged, and he clenched his teeth in anger as his own words were thrown right back in his face.

"As it is," Tatsuya continued coolly, "I think we won't know each other's anti-personnel battle skill without fighting each other." Then, almost to himself, he added, "It's not like I really want to become a Public Morals Committee member... but, if it's to prove my little sister's judgement isn't clouded, then I suppose it can't be helped."

"Fine!" bit out Hattori as he ground his teeth, "I will give you a thorough lesson on what it is to know your place."

As if she had been waiting for this moment, Mayumi interjected, "As the Student Council President, I authorize the formal mock battle between 2nd Year Class B, Hattori Gyoubu and first year Class E, Shiba Tatsuya."

"On the basis of the Student Council President's declaration," continued Mari, "And, as the Chair of Public Morals Committee, I recognize the match between the two of you as a legitimate extracurricular activity in abidance of the school rules. The time of the match will be thirty minutes from now, at the third practice room. The match will be a private one, and I authorize the use of CADs by both sides."

At that solemn declaration, Azusa began typing furiously into the terminal.


	5. Chapter 3: Part 2

"It's only the third day, and my secret is already going to found out," grumbled Tatsuya just before the door to the third practice room. In the thirty minutes before the match, he had exchanged a letter with the Student Council President's stamp on it for his CAD case, that had been confiscated by the school upon entrance into the school grounds.

Behind him, Miyuki apologized again, her voice shaking.

Turning to his sister, Tatsuya said kindly, "It's nothing you need to apologize for."

"But, Onii-sama," she said tearfully, "It's my fault that you are having to do this. I'm causing trouble for you again."

Tatsuya took a half-step closer to her, and gently patted her head, saying, "I said this during the entrance ceremony, too, right? I always feel that I'm being saved by you when you get angry in my place, since I am unable to get angry for myself. Now, don't apologize. Now is the time to something more appropriate."

"Yes," nodded Miyuki, wiping a tear of with her finger. She smiled and said, "Please do your best!"

Satisfied Miyuki's mood was lifted, Tatsuya smiled as well, nodded, and opened the door to the practice room.

"This is surprising," said Mari as soon as the siblings entered.

"What is?"

"I was referring to your unexpected enthusiasm for fighting," she elaborated, "I thought you weren't one to be bothered by others' remarks."

A deep sigh welled in Tatsuya's throat as he noticed her eyes sparkling in anticipation, and he forced it back down with steel-like self-restraint. Instead, he said in a somewhat accustory tone, "I thought it was the Public Moral Committee's job to stop personal fights."

"This is not a personal fight. It's a formal match," Mari replied casually, "Mayumi agreed, too, didn't she? Besides, this rule of a difference in battle strength between Course 1 and 2 students has no real basis. It is just something Course 1 students believe. This is the very first time we are using such a method to settle things between a Course 1 and Course 2 student, you see."

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, saying, "Didn't the number of 'formal matches' increase ever since you became the Chair of the Public Morals Committee, senpai?"

"Indeed, it did," Mari replied with a matter-of-fact nod. Both Tatsuya and Miyuki smiled wryly at her shamelessness.

Suddenly, in all seriousness, Mari leaned in close and whispered, "Well, are you confident?"

In the instant Tatsuya became aware that he was not adverse to the closeness of Mari's partially tilted face, so close to his own, the phenomenon was severed from any emotion he may have had from it. Mari's perfectly arched eyebrows, slightly upturned, almond-shaped eyes, and physical proximity became just a piece of information within himself, neither good nor bad, but completely neutral.

"Hattori is skilled enough to be among the top five in our school," Mari continued in an alluring, high-pitched whisper, "If I had to say, individual fights are not his specialty, but there is still hardly anyone who can win against him in a one-on-one."

In a voice that could be described more as mechanical than cold, Tatsuya replied evenly, "I'm not thinking of fighting him head on."

"You are pretty calm," said Mari as she smiled slightly, "I will admit I've lost a little confidence." Tatsuya gave a noncomittal nod as she stepped back. "In times like these," Mari advised, her smile turning into a full grin, "if your face turns red, it will make you cuter and the number of people on your side would increase, I think." With that parting sentence, she walked to the center line of the court.

The practice room itself was similar to a gym, only much smaller. There was a white line denoting the center of the court and two starting lines two and a half meters on either side of the center line that marked the court length. The room continued for another couple meters around the court, but that was about it. On the far end, next to the center line, there was a white scoring table and a few chairs, most likely brought by the Student Council members for the sole purpose of watching this match. The floor was made of a soft wooden material, similar to the kind one would find in many dojos, and all the walls were padded, likely for protection.

All the Student Council members were gathered at that table, and Tatsuya and Miyuki approached them. Setting his black attache case on the table, Tatsuya carefully opened it, revealing a pair of CAD's in the shape of handguns. He took out one of them, pulled out a storage cartridge from the place a magazine would be in a real gun and replaced it with another cartridge. Everyone except for Miyuki looked on in interest.

"Sorry for the wait," he said. He and Miyuki were the last ones to arrive.

"Do you always carry extra storage cartridges with you?" Asked Mari.

The number of activation sequences that could be used with a Specialized CAD like his was limited. In contrast to the Generalized CAD which could store up to ninety-nine types of Activation Sequences without regard to the systems of magic, the Specialized CAD could only store nine types of Activation Sequences of a single system of magic. To remedy this disadvantage, CAD devices that could store alternate, exchangeable Activation Sequences were developed, but since Specialized CADs were originally intended for Magicians who are strong in specific Magic Sequences, the need for an increased arsenal of magic was not too high. More often than not, even when multiple storage were carried, most still relied on using one type of magic.

It was safe to assume, however, that Tatsuya was not strong in any specific magic sequences from his answer, "Yes. I do not cope well with Generalized CAD's and as such cannot smoothly operate them."

At these words, Hattori sneered slightly, but his face returned to his normal stiff expression as Mari began to speak.

"Alright, allow me to explain the rules," she said, looking at the two combatants in turn, "Lethal attacks are forbidden, whether they be direct or indirect. Techniques that deal permanent damage to the opponent are also that cause direct harm to the physical body are forbidden. However, direct attacks that do not result in anything greater than bone fractures are permitted. No weapons at any time. Unarmed combat is allowed. If you plan on using kicking techniques, please remove your shoes and change into the school's soft boots." When neither side made a move to change shoes, she continued, "The condition for defeat is when the judge - that's me - has determined one side is unable to continue the battle."

Tatsuya and Hattori both nodded their understanding, and Mari grinned. "Then," she said, "Both sides please move behind your respective starting lines, and do not activate your CAD until I give the signal. Breaking the rules results in automatic defeat, and I will use my full strength to enforce the rules, so keep that in mind."

Tatsuya and Hattori took up positions on opposite ends of the court. Facing Tatsuya's unworried, even expressionless demeanor, Hattori did not at all seem worried. Hattori firmly believed that he, a Course 1 student, had no chance of losing to an upstart Course 2 student. In this situation, the one who invoked their magic first would usually win, and Hattori was confident in his invocation speed. Even though Tatsuya was using a specialized CAD that had an advantage in speed over his own generalized CAD, Tatsuya had a terrible technical score, which was largely determined by invocation speed. Furthermore, their distance was great enough that, even if Tatsuya tried to close the distance by non-magical means, Hattori's magic would almost certainly be faster. And, if Hattori landed the first blow, his victory was practically assured, even if it didn't do enough damage to immediately rule him the winner. There were very few people who had the mental capacity to absorb damage while still maintaining enough focus to calmly invoke their own magic. Tatsuya's magic would be disrupted by Hattori's, which would give hime time to invoke another, finishing spell if necessary. In short, logically speaking, there was no way Hattori could lose.

Tatsuya pointed his CAD to the floor as a tense silence fell over the practice room, awaiting Mari's signal.

Hattori held his breath.

"...Begin."

Almost instantaneously, Hattori was ready to invoke his magic, but, before he could release it, Tatsuya was almost close enough to touch. As Hattori frantically tried to change the target area for his magic, Tatsuya disappeared.

Before Hattori could even react, he felt a sickening pain hit his side and blacked out.

The entire match lasted less than five seconds. It was an instant win.

Hesitantly, in the hushed silence that followed, Mari announced, "...Winner, Shiba Tatsuya."

As expressionless as ever, Tatsuya bowed shortly before casually returning to the table that held his CAD case. He was wholly uninterested in his victory; it was simply the expected result.

Before he could pack up his CAD, Mari called out from behind him, "Wait! That movement there... did you preemptively input a speed ability before the match?"

Hearing this, Mayumi, Suzune, and Azusa all began reflecting on the match. At the moment the starting signal was given, Tatsuya had moved in front of Hattori, and, in the next instant, he was several meters behind Hattori's right flank. Anyone would mistake that speed for Flash Step; a normal human body was incapable of that kind of motion.

"The fact that that is impossible," replied Tatsuya calmly, unperturbed by her accusation, "I believe you are more aware of that than anyone." As judge, Mari was closely observing both combatants for the signs of a CAD being activated. The flow of psions accompanying activation would have been obvious to her.

Even still, she could not suppress her disbelief. "But," she asked, "then what was that?"

"That wasn't magic. It was simply a physical technique."

At this, Miyuki stepped in to support her brother. "I can testify to that as well," she said, "That really is Onii-sama's physical technique. He was mentored by Kokonoe Yakumo-sensei, after all."

Mari gasped softly. For someone as well-versed in combat as she was, the name Kokonoe Yakumo was quite familiar. While Mayumi and Suzune did not know of Kokonoe, they were nonetheless surprised that someone could accomplish a feat such as that without the aid of magic.

Stiffly, still not completely over her shock, Mayumi asked, "Was that attack also a physical technique? I thought I saw the release of psion wave motions?" Generally, it was considered uncouth to inquire about another Magician's unreleased abilities or even how they work, but Mayumi could not suppress her curiosity. Her own specialty was a form of magic using Psion bullets - using psions as physical manifestations of a bullet. Tatsuya, however, had managed to damage Hattori using psions that had no physical manifestations as weapons. No matter how she tried, she could not think of a way to make that work.

"You're correct," came Tatsuya's impossible reply, "That attack was not a physical technique, but it was based on psion wave motions. Its foundation came from the Oscillation Type Basic Single System Magic."

"Even so," protested Mayumi, "I still don't understand how you knocked out Hattori using that!"

"Causing him to faint was enough."

"Faint?" repeated Mayumi, becoming more confused by the second, "How did that happen?"

As untroubled as ever, Tatsuya explained, "For Magicians, Psions can be discernible just like visible light and sound waves. This is a mandatory skill for magic, but the side effect is that, when Magicians are exposed to unexpected Psion wave motions, they frequently misinterpret that their bodies are swaying, which directly affects the physical body. It is very similar to hypnotic suggestion, where people under hypnosis are induced into thinking they suffered 'burn injuries', then find out that their physical symptoms reflect their thinking. During the match, I used this illusion of 'swaying motions', causing him to feel an extreme case of seasickness."

"I can't believe it! Magicians are usually exposed to Psion wave motions, and thus should be accustomed to those surges. For External Systemic Magic, both Activation Sequences and Magic Sequences are types of Psion wave motions," said Mayumi. "And, yet despite this," she continued, almost as if to herself, "to be able to disable a Magician through Psion surge alone, and to cause such a strong effect, exactly how..." Mayumi's voice trailed off as she looked up helplessly.

In response to Mayumi's desperate question, Suzune, who had been carefully analyzing the situation, responded as she came to the realization, "Compound waves."

"Rin-chan?"

Everyone turned their attention to Suzune as she elaborated, "By successfully creating three varied vibrations that converge at Hattori's location, you created an equilateral surge powerful enough to knock him out." She shook her head in amazement, saying, "To think that you were capable of such precise calculations, though."

"Quite the explanation, Ichihara-senpai," commended Tatsuya. It was impressive that she understood the mechanics of the technique after only seeing it once.

"Speaking of that, though," Suzune said as a thought came to her, "How were you able to invoke vibration magic three times in such short succession? If your technical speed is that high, why is your technical score so low?"

Tatsuya let out a small, rather bitter smile at such a direct reference to his abysmal technical scores, but, before he could answer Suzune, Azusa interrupted with a question.

"Tatsuya-kun," she said, her eyes eyeing his CAD eagerly, "is that CAD the 'Silver Horn'?"

"Silver Horn?" repeated Mayumi disbelievingly, "Silver, as in the Silver from that mysterious genius Magic Designer Taurus Silver?"

At Mayumi's question, Azusa visibly brightened. "That's him!" Azusa happily explained, her voice rising in excitement, "The miraculous CAD engineer associated with Four Leaves Technology, whose name, appearance, and data all remain a complete mystery! The genius programmer who was the first in the world to make the Loop Cast system a reality! Ah, Loop Cast System is an Activation Sequence that allows the castor to skips the step of restarting the Activation Sequence if the Magic Sequence is the same. With this, Magicians can endlessly invoke magics within their ability - on a loop, if you will. Although the theory had existed in the past, no one could calculate the Invocation Sequence and copy the Activation Sequence separately at the same time until now..."

"Stop!" cried Mayumi, interrupting Azusa's barreling explanation, "I know what Loop Cast is. What about this Silver Horn?"

Azusa continued her explanation with just as much reverence as before, "Silver Horn is the name of the Fully Customizable Specialized CAD developed by Taurus silver. Naturally, it has the best adjustments for the Loop Cast System, is able to stably invoke magic using the least amount of Magic Power, is critically acclaimed, and is especially popular among the law-enforcement population! Although it is sold on the market, it requires a special procedure and extra fees to purchase one. And judging from the way your barrel is longer than the traditional model, yours must be a limited edition model! Where did you get that!?" By the time she finished, Azusa's chest was heaving, and Mayumi put a steadying hand on her shoulder, to keep her from snatching the CAD right from Tatsuya's hands.

"A-chan," she said, "calm down a little!" Glancing at Suzune, Mayumi pursed her lips, posing a question, "That doesn't explain everything, though, does it? No matter how capable the Loop Cast CAD is, Loop Cast still can't..." She trailed off, and Suzune continued her thought.

"That is strange," she nodded, "Loop Cast is designed for consecutively casting one type of magic. Even if you cast the same vibration magic, if the wavelength and number of vibrations that the Magician sets changes, there would be differences within the Activation Sequences. If the Loop Cast automatically copies the original Activation Sequence, then it would be impossible to account for the differences in order to achieve 'Compounding Waves'. If you set the number of vibrations as another variable, then it _may_ be possible to use the same Activation Sequence to achieve 'Compounding Waves' while still accounting for all the differences, but not to the degree of accuracy needed to knock an opponent out like here. It would definitely be possible if target, strength, and time of duration were all variables, and you include number of vibrations as yet another variable..." She looked at Tatsuya as her reasoning trailed off. "Don't tell me you managed to calculate all of that?" she asked, her voice rising, incredulous.

Tatsuya merely shrugged as he answered her previous question, "Multi-variable quantitative processing speed, calculation scale, or even interference strength don't matter. None of these are assigned a grade. The evaluation of magical technical scores includes only Invocation Speed, the scale of the Magic Sequence, and phenomena rewriting ability."

Tatsuya turned around as a groan announced Hattori's return to consciousness.

"I see now," he said as he slowly sat up, "so the test is not capable of completely measuring a person's ability."

"Hanzou-kun!" said Mayumi, bending over him, "are you alright?"

In response, Hattori hurriedly got to his feet, backing an appropriate distance away from the President, saying sharply, "I'm fine!"

As almost everyone's attention was focused on Mayumi and Hattori, Tatsuya took the opportunity to finish replacing his CAD in its case. He pretended not to see Azusa, who stared at his CAD with an expression that clearly said "Do want!" He also ignored Miyuki's gaze that suggested she wanted to help. Miyuki was not the best with machines; her 'help' would only cause more work for him. He replaced the storage device and reset the safety, placing them all in their respective spots as he heard footsteps approaching from behind him.

"Shiba-san," said Hattori. It was obvious from the polite tone of voice that he was talking to Miyuki, not Tatsuya, so Tatsuya did not bother turning around.

"Yes?" replied Miyuki shortly, her anger still evident.

"Earlier, I made a rude comment concerning your favoritism. I was the one whose judgement was clouded. Please forgive me."

Tatsuya could tell Miyuki was bowing as she responded with grace and maturity, "I, also, spoke too arrogantly. Please forgive me."

Tatsuya closed and locked his CAD case, slowly turning around. Hattori flinched almost imperceptibly as Tatsuya met his gaze. Then he narrowed his eyes, and Tatsuya thought he may start something anew. In the end, Hattori only turned around and left without a word.

Feeling the cold fury emanating from his sister, Tatsuya lightly patted her on the shoulder. It would do no good for her to start a fight with him since they were going to be working together on the Student Council. At her brother's touch, Miyuki took a deep breath, steadying herself.

"Well, then," said Mayumi, "Let's head back to the Student Council Room!"

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After placing his CAD back in the workroom, Tatsuya returned to the Student Council Room, where he was immediately ambushed by Mari.

"Now that everything's settled," she said, grabbing his wrist, "Let's get back to the original plan and head to Public Moral Committee HQ!"

Resisting the subconscious urge to twist out of Mari's grip and counterattack, Tatsuya noticed a suspicious glare from Miyuki.

Ignoring his obvious discomfort, Mari dragged him to the room's farthest corner where, instead of a fire escape, there was a staircase leading down to the Public Moral Committee's Headquarters. Leaving aside the obvious fire hazards of the staircase, Tatsuya said simply, "Please let go of my wrist. This is completely unnecessary."

Hearing this, Miyuki turned her gaze back to the terminal, returning to her secretary work. Hattori pointedly ignored everything happening, and Mayumi batted her hand as if trying to say... something. Among the people Tatsuya had already met, she was probably the hardest to understand. When they reached the staircase, Mari finally let go of his arm, and Tatsuya followed her down the stairs and into the Committee room.

The room was similar in size and layout to the Student Council Room, but that was where the similarities ended. The Student Council Room was kept almost impeccably clean, despite the large amount of work done there. This room had boxes stacked on shelves alongside the walls and in the corners filled with who-knows-what, and books, portable terminals, and even CAD's strewn about the table.

Pointing to the said table, Mari said, "There's a little bit of a mess, but you can sit there for a second."

Raising only an eyebrow in response, Tatsuya cleared out a space on one end of the table and sat down.

"Even though I've told them to pick up after themselves," Mari tried to explain, "there's still no one that listens..."

With a deadpan face and his usual flat tone, Tatsuya said, "It can't be helped when no one is around."

Unable to tell if his words were mocking or not, Mari frowned slightly, wrinkling her brow. After a moment, she said, "Our primary objective is patrolling the school grounds. The state of HQ couldn't be helped."

"Even so, Chief," Tatsuya said, eyeing with interest the objects cluttered on the table, "Would it be okay if I tidied up a bit?"

"Really?" asked Mari at his sudden proposal, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Tatsuya felt the need to explain, so he said, "As someone aiming to become a Magic Artificer, I can't stand it when I see CAD's scattered around like this. The same goes for abandoned or disabled terminals."

However, Tatsuya's explanation seemed only to confuse Mari further. "Aiming to become a Magic Artificer?" She repeated, tilting her head to one side, "Even with your level anti-personnel combat ability?" Judging from the recent contest, it was clear Tatsuya was quite skilled in combat.

However, Tatsuya shook his head mildly. "No matter how hard I try," he said as if he were talking about someone else's problem, "my abilities could get me a C-Rank License at best."

In most countries, Magicians operated under the licensing system. The system was based on international standards, from which this country was not an exception. It doesn't matter if you work for the corporations, the government, or even open a private practice, the difficulty and need both reflect upon the level of licensure. Magicians with higher licensing levels received a higher level of compensation. International licenses have 5 levels between A and E, with A being the highest and E being the lowest. A C-Rank license was nothing to strive for.

In the silence that followed Tatsuya's blunt and rather sad appraisal of his own abilities, he continued with, "So, it's okay if I clean this area?"

"Ah?" said Mari as if he'd broken her out of her thoughts, "Yeah, sure. I'll help, too. We can talk while we work." Mari stood up hurriedly, perhaps being the type of person who naturally helped others out. Or she possibly just thought it rude to sit and watch someone else toil at work.

Immediately, they set to work. Tatsuya began with the pile of books and terminals in front of him on the table, slowly but surely clearing his way through the table. Mari did her best, as well, but, for some reason, when Tatsuya looked over at the pile she was clearing out, it hadn't seemed to decrease in size at all. Tatsuya let out an audible sigh to which Mari raised her hands in defeat.

"Sorry," she said abashedly, "I'm really bad at this type of work."

She might even bear the most responsibility for the state of the room, Tatsuya thought, but refrained from saying anything.

Having admitted her defeat, Mari pushed her pile to Tatsuya, clearing a little space on the table where she promptly sat. "Speaking of which," she said, swinging her legs back and forth, "You're quite familiar with those."

Doing his best to ignore the fact that Mari's skirt had ridden up slightly when she had sat on the table, Tatsuya said, "What are you referring to?"

"The book categories," explained Mari, "I thought you were just going to put them somewhere else. I didn't expect you to sort them by subject." In this day and age, physical books were considered rarities, even more so if they were magical texts. Tatsuya simply nodded in response, and Mari left it at that.

"To continue our discussion from earlier," Mari said, getting to the real business at hand, "The reason why we scouted you is to properly adjudicate improper uses of magic with your skills as well as to improve the perception of Course 2 students."

"I remember, but I think this tactic may cause considerable backlash" Tatsuya replied calmly. Then, pointing at a book, he asked, "May I take a look at this terminal?"

After finishing the pile of books, Tatsuya moved on to cleaning up the terminals. After receiving Mari's permission to examine the data, he restored the terminal to working order, cut the power, and gathered the parts in one area.

"Why do you think that way?"

"Even though we never mentioned this aloud," explained Tatsuya, "If an underclassman were to be apprehended by someone of equal standing, it would naturally lead to some negative reactions." As he talked, Tatsuya walked along the cabinets on the wall, finding an empty one and began placing the terminals inside.

"That's true," conceded Mari with a careless nod, "But, at the same time, I think the 1st year students would welcome such a development. Haven't your fellow classmates talked about this already?"

Tatsuya had to admit that it was true.

Hearing that, Mari pressed forward, saying, "I think that, if a Course 1 student took over now, the negative reaction would overtake the welcoming reaction." Finally finding the CAD case among the cabinets on the walls, Tatsuya took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves as Mari continued, "Resentment is likely inevitable. But in regard to newly enrolled Course 1 students, they might not have been exposed to the discriminating thinking long enough to become prejudiced, right?"

"Who knows," responded Tatsuya, strapping a grounded protector from the case to his wrists, "Just yesterday, I ran into an 'I don't acknowledge you' declaration."

"My goodness, you even know how to work with this kind of equipment?" gasped Mari lightly, before she got back to the matter at hand. "Was that person Morisaki?"

"This is quite convenient," said Tatsuya, "You know of him already?"

Mari nodded again, saying, "The teachers recommended him to join the committee."

Tatsuya let out a small, involuntary gasp, and the CAD he was holding slipped out of his hands. In seconds, his composure was back, and he hastily picked up the fallen CAD, returning to his work.

"So you _can _be surprised," commented Mari with delight.

"Of course," replied Tatsuya coolly.

"Due to yesterday's ruckus," Mari continued, all jokes aside, "there are grounds for withdrawing the recommendation, but, seeing as you were involved as well, if we recruit you, it would be much harder to reject him."

"Why not simply reject both of us, then?"

"Do you really not want to join?"

At this, Tatsuya stopped working, meeting Mari's gaze seriously. After a moment of thought, he said, "To tell you the truth, I find it troublesome."

Mari raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

Under her piercing gaze, Tatsuya sighed, "Despite thinking it's troublesome, I don't plan on backing out now that it's come this far."

Mari's face broke out into a devilish smirk as Tatsuya admitted his defeat.

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A while later, Mayumi descended the stairs. She stopped at the entrance, gazing around at the now clean room in wonder. "This is the Public Moral Committee Room, isn't it?" she asked.

Mari furrowed her brows, saying, "That's a surprising thing to say."

"Well, it's your fault, Mari!" Mayumi said with a mischievous smile, "No matter how many times Rin-chan reminds you or A-chan begs you, you never cleaned up the place!"

"I object to your hurtful and inaccurate description of the situation Mayumi! Besides, it's not that I don't want to clean, it's just that I hadn't started yet!"

Mayumi narrowed her eyes at Mari, saying, "As a woman, you should pay more attention to things like this."

Mari fidgeted under Mayumi's gaze, turning around, muttering, "It's not that I don't want to..." Seeing Tatsuya busily examining a terminal's internal condition after removing the protective cover, she pointed to him saying, "Look."

Following her gaze, Mayumi nodded in understanding. "So he's being put to good use already," she said.

Just then, Tatsuya closed the protective cover and turned around to Mari. "Chief," he said, "The inspections are complete. The damaged parts have already been replaced. There should be no more problems."

"Good work," Mari said, nodding quickly. It might have been his imagination, but Tatsuya thought that her tone was a little rushed, and he could see the beginnings of a cold sweat on her temple.

However, before he could confirm his suspicions, Mayumi said, "So, since you're calling Mari Chief, does that mean we've successfully recruited you?"

"I never even had the right to refuse in the first place," replied Tatsuya immediately, his tone flat and his face deadpan.

At his less-than-courteous response, Mayumi placed on hand on her hip, pointed a finger at Tatsuya and said with an exaggerated righteous indignation, "Tatsuya-kun, isn't your response to this older sister of yours just a little too rude?"

Tatsuya wisely chose not to answer her ridiculous objection. If anything, she was acting overly casual with him - Tatsuya didn't even have an older sister. "President," he said, " Just in case, I want to clarify something with you."

"What is it?"

"We met for the first time at the just before the enrollment ceremony, right?" He asked. However, as Mayumi's eyes narrowed and a devilish grin showed on her face, Tatsuya began to feel as if he had made a grave mistake.

"Oh? So that's how it is," Mayumi said with an ominous chuckle, "Tatsuya-kun thinks we may have met before, right? Then the day of our enrollment ceremony must have been our fateful reunion!"

Scrambling to cut her off, Tatsuya interjected, "No, wait. President?"

"A long time ago," Mayumi continued dramatically, ignoring Tatsuya's attempts to stop her, "we might have met once, then thrust apart by cruel fate, only to be finally reunited by destiny once more!" After a final dramatic sweep of her hands, Mayumi calmed down and said in all seriousness, "But, unfortunately, that was undoubtedly our first meeting."

After a moment, Tatsuya replied, "I thought so, too."

"Unless," Mayumi said, clasping her hands in front of her and leaning towards Tatsuya, "you really got those fateful meeting vibes?"

She looked quite excited, but, in reality, she was just fooling around. _Truly a terrible personality, _Tatsuya thought, feeling a headache coming on. He couldn't imagine dealing with her personality for the next few years. With a sigh, he asked, "Sorry, but why are you so happy about this?"

Ignoring his question, Mayumi continued to gaze at him expectantly. _She's definitely an 'S'. _Seizing the initiative, Tatsuya replied, "If this truly was destiny, then rather than a meeting of fate, this feels more like a meeting of doom."

Mayumi's face darkened and she turned around, her shoulders drooping as if she were depressed. "Is that so.." she muttered, and Tatsuya began to worry that he might have gone too far. It would have been perfectly fine if she really was just teasing him, but, he felt he would need to apologize if there was any sincerity behind her actions. However, the sense of guilt did not last too long. Tatsuya heard a quiet "Tch.." from Mayumi, indicating her defeat.

"Um, President?" ventured Tatsuya.

She turned around with an elegant smile, no trace of the depression she had supposedly been feeling just before, "What is it?"

"Why do I feel like I know you a little better now?"

"It's about time to stop the jokes, Tatsuya-kun," said Mayumi, treating the entire matter as a harmless joke, "Too much leisure time can be a bad thing."

Mari chose this moment to throw in her two cents, saying, "You can't use the same tricks you used on Hattori, Mayumi. Your appearance doesn't seem to work on him."

"Don't describe the situation in such an evil manner," replied Mayumi indignantly, "You make it sound as if I _like _messing with the underclassmen!"

Tatsuya regretted saying anything to begin with and began to clean up again. If he let himself be caught up in their pace any longer, he was going to suffer some actual damage.

"The difference in Mayumi's attitude, Tatsuya-kun," Mari said solemnly, "is because she's already acknowledged you. She probably considers you two to be alike in some areas. In other words, she's just playing coy. She only takes her mask off in front of people she acknowledges."

"Don't believe what Mari says, Tatsuya-kun," interjected Mayumi, "But, I guess I do acknowledge you? It feels like I can't treat you the same way I treat the others. Perhaps _I'm _the one touched by fate."

Hearing this, and seeing Mayumi's broad smile, Tatsuya's inner pace was completely destroyed. Challenging these to from the front was an exercise in futility, thought Tatsuya with a sigh.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The reason Mayumi had come to visit was to tell them that the Student Council Room was closing early. Tomorrow marked the first day for the competition for new club members so the activity level for the Public Moral Committee was going to increase. After she let them know these things, Mayumi disappeared up the stairs, leaving Mari and Tatsuya alone in the HQ.

Tatsuya was almost finished with his organization. The only thing that needed to be done at this point was setting safety protocols, but, before he could begin, two male students entered the HQ.

"Oi, Nee-san*, can we come in?" called one of the students. He had a sturdy build and close-cropped brown hair that was well-suited for a headband. He wasn't overly tall, but _why use Nee-san? _The only one he could be referring to was Mari, but that way of address was a little out of place for a high school student. Catching Tatsuya's eye, Mari shrugged, slightly embarrassed.

"Chief," said the other one, "Today's patrol is done. No arrests!" Compared to the other guy, this one had a rather bland appearance and normal, if a bit imposing, manner of speech. The unmoving stance he took while reporting reminded Tatsuya of a soldier, or maybe a police officer, or someone part of an organization that had remained unchanged for a long time.

Finally noticing the state of the room and Tatsuya, the sturdy student said incredulously, "You're telling me Nee-san cleaned this room?" He began walking towards Tatsuya, for some reason, seeming to move very slowly. However, he didn't make it all the way to Tatsuya. As he passed by Mari, she casually stood up, looked at him coolly, and smacked him on the head with a rolled-up notebook with a shout.

"Don't call me Nee-san," Mari shouted at him, "How many times do I have to tell you to remember? Koutarou, is your brain just a decoration?"

The boy covered his head with his hands, saying, "Please don't hit me, Nee- I mean, Chief." He hurriedly corrected himself when he saw her raise the notebook again. "Anyway," the boy said, straightening up and nodding at Tatsuya, "Who's this? The rookie?"

Mari relaxed herself and sighed, "Yes. This is 1st year class E Shiba Tatsuya."

Koutarou examined Tatsuya excitedly, muttering an exclamation upon seeing Tatsuya's uniform, "There's no insignia? So he's a weed?"

"Tatsumi-senpai," the other boy called out, "That's violating the ban on certain words! I believe Course 2 Student would be more appropriate here."

Hearing this, Mari interjected with a teasing laugh, "The two of you should be careful. That kind of thinking could lead to a world of hurt in a battle. This guy just thrashed Hattori."

After a moment of shocked silence, Koutarou said, "This guy took out Hattori?"

"Yes. In a formal duel."

"What?" exclaimed the second student, "The undefeated Hattori? Losing to a newcomer?"

"No need to shout, Sawaki," Mari said with a frown, "Didn't I just say that?"

Tatsuya was rather uncomfortable with being stared at for so long, but he resolved to bear with it for a little while longer. These were the senior members of the Public Moral Committee, after all.

Like musicians recovering from a disrupted rhythm, their suspicious gazes changed.

"This guy is determined," said Koutarou.

"He's got potential, Chief," agreed Sawaki.

Shooting a glance at Tatsuya, Mari asked, "Surprised?"

To such a vague question, Tatsuya was unsure how to respond. Thankfully, however, it seemed that Mari wasn't really expecting him to answer anyways.

"This school is filled with people who think that labeling Blooms and Weeds is equivalent to their skill level," she continued, "To be honest, I hate that. So I am very pleased with the outcome of today's match. Thankfully, Mayumi and Juumonji both share my views, so the members recommended by the Student Council and the Club Management Group aren't people brainwashed into that sort of thinking. While I can't say that there's no sense of superiority here, we're all people that can objectively evaluate another person's skills.

"Unfortunately, the three students recommended by the teachers are rather from the former category, so there's nothing we can do about it, but I think this place wouldn't be a bad fit for you."

After Mari's explanation, Koutarou and Sawaki both reached out a hand, introducing themselves.

"3rd Year Class C, Tatsumi Koutarou. Welcome aboard, Shiba. If you've got the skills, you're fine in my book."

"2nd Year Class D, Sawaki Midori. Welcome to our group, Tatsuya-kun."

Just as Mari said, there was no trace of malice in either of them. Their behavior before was just to determine his skill level. Whether he was a Course 1 or Course 2 Student made no difference to them. Tatsuya had to admit that he was a little surprised. This really wasn't a bad atmosphere.

He returned the greeting and shook Koutarou's hand. However, Koutarou held on to his hand and said, "Juumonji is from the Club management group. You can refer to him as Group Leader Juumonji."

_You held on to my hand just to tell me that?_

"I'm up next," said Sawaki, "Please call me by my family name Sawaki." However, he, too, didn't immediately release Tatsuya's hand. Instead, he increased his grip, squeezing Tatsuya's hand tightly. "Don't call me by my first name," he said.

There really was no need for that warning, as Tatsuya was not in the habit of referring to his seniors by name. But, since Sawaki had gone out of his way to mention this, he felt he had to respond.

"I'll remember that," he said shortly, and Sawaki released his hand.

"That's quite impressive," said Koutarou, seeing Tatsuya apparently unaffected by Sawaki's squeezing, "Sawaki's grip strength is at least in the triple digits."

Pretending to be ignorant, Tatsuya replied lightly, "I think that hardly qualifies as normal physical ability, even for Magicians." He would probably get along well, with these two, he though.

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*Note - Nee-san is a casual way of addressing your older sister. It's also used by younger kids talking about female kids older than them. A female adult would be called Oba-san (Auntie), while an older female adult would be called Obaa-san (Grandma). Or something of the sort.


End file.
